Shattered
by Chifle
Summary: Life is a journey full of surprises, wouldn't you agree? Getting transported to Fodlan counts as a surprise I suppose. Without a clear way back home, there is no other choice but to push forward. A story about an unlucky fellow that has to make it through life in a world he thought was only real in the minds of people with too much imagination. (SI)
1. The Long Awaited Arrival

Ever found yourself in a situation you thought impossible? Unlikely.

This might sound out of the realm of possibility but hear me out. If you were to be transported to another world, one you know fairly well, what would you do?

Sure it might be fun at first, but when reality starts sinking in, and add to it the fact that you have no idea how you got there in the first place or even a way to return, things might start taking a different turn.

Suddenly you're fighting for your life and begging for food just to live another day. Doesn't sound so fun anymore, does it?

Realism is bitch, you know it, I know it, we all know it. But you know what they say, there is always a light at the end of every tunnel. Thing is, reaching its end is not so simple.

* * *

**6th day of the Great Tree Moon, Year 1180**

Bump, bump, bump.

Oh, and would you look at that? Another bump.

There goes my 14th attempt to nap in the span of an hour.

I thank whatever god is watching me from above that I have a cushion beneath my ass, otherwise this journey would've been far more unpleasant than what it already is. Bumpy roads like this don't allow much room for a nap without your head bobbing up and down every single minute. How can people stand this torture is beyond me.

Aside from cities and a few towns, there are hardly any paved roads in Fódlan, most of them are just made of dirt and as a result, it can get really messy when it rains. Luckily for me, I haven't had that problem as of yet. Let's hope it stays that way.

I took a peek through the window to admire what little scenery I could lay my eyes on. Surrounded by whitish mountains, mostly covered in green of what I assume is grass or undergrowth, with little to no trees since we entered the mountainous region. All of that was accompanied by a cloudless, infinite-looking blue sky. Simple yet beautiful.

Long behind were the valleys of the Alliance and the endless fields of the Empire, now everything was just mountains with a few cliffs along the way.

Leaning on my seat, I let out a sigh.

We were going uphill and while the wagon wasn't too slanted, it had been in that position for a few hours now, I assume (and hope) we're getting close to our destination.

I am not a road trip guy. Never was and most likely never will. I'm the kind of person that stays at home unless needed elsewhere. Unfortunately for me, this trip was very much needed, for more than one reason.

It might look that I am inexperienced in this sort of thing but this isn't my first long trip on a wagon. Although calling it long would be a little bit of an overstatement. The trip to Enbarr though, that's one I rather not repeat ever again. As much as I enjoyed my stay in the capital, I prefer not to return in the near future if it means swallowing a week and a half inside a wagon again.

On the other hand, the one I'm making right now is just a few days longer. Garreg Mach is not too far from home after all.

_Home._

It still feels weird to call that 'place' home.

The manor where I was staying for the past year and a half with my adoptive father, Lord Navarro and his family. He owns some holdings on the northeastern side of the Empire. His holdings are nothing too impressive when compared to the major noble houses, but he has pride for them and does the best he can to manage them. For the little time I have known him, I can honestly say he is a good man.

He offered to adopt me not too long after our first meeting. Although his reasons for doing so were questionable. Nonetheless, he cared for me as if I was his own child, giving me a roof over my head and teaching me the way of nobility. While I do admit I am not a fan of said social standards, it does have a certain charm to it and it's the least I could do to pay back Lord Navarro's generosity.

Anything is better than returning to the streets.

His decision to enroll me in the Officer's Academy was made known to me a few months ago. Many were the reasons for doing so, the main one being to increase House Navarro's influence within the Empire's political scene, even if a little.

Aside from the basics, I know little of the Empire's politics for the time being. My familiarity with it is foreign at best. Lord Navarro was keen on teaching me about it himself in his spare time but his duties kept him busy enough so he rarely had time for it. He said he will give me the proper tutelage once I graduate.

Little does he know that I won't be graduating this year, nor any of the students for that matter.

That's probably my main reason for accepting to enroll in the Officer's Academy.

To partake in the events to come.

I possess a certain foreknowledge of events that will take place in the following year. Centered for the most part around Garreg Mach. These events will lead to an all-out war that will last for more than 5 years, scarring the continent and tear the entirety of it inside out.

While the outcome of the war is completely unknown to me, for now. I can tell that the path to it is filled with the death of many, deserving or not.

Even if my foreknowledge comes in useful, there are still many variables I can't take for granted. The mere fact that I exist and about to attend the Academy is reason enough to suspect that not everything will go as planned. I don't have much in terms of backup plans but I'm prepared for things to go south at any moment.

What do I mean by that? Well, anything that might lead to my death, mostly. That's the situation to avoid at all costs. No fucking way I'm going to let that happen. Not again.

The mere thought of facing death once more sends shivers down my spine and turns every inch of my skin pale. It's not a nice feeling, I will leave it at that.

Aside from my own death, I could try to ensure the survival of others but I don't think it will be an easy feat to accomplish. There is a limit to how much I can do with the limited information I have.

I could try to avoid the war from happening altogether, but is it really okay for me to do that? How would the story go if there is no war?

Regardless of what I was to try, I think the war will occur anyway. Like it or not, those are the facts I have to face. I came to that conclusion some time ago yet I've got this rather small feeling, irking within me, that says otherwise.

If for some reason I decide to take action I'd still have time to do so. It's just a matter of knowing how to approach it.

Whatever the case might be, there is no point in dwelling on what can or will go wrong right now. My focus should be on my own well being if I see it necessary I might intervene. Although I doubt that kind of situation will present itself often.

_I say that now but ultimately, it all depends on Byleth, doesn't it?_

The so-called 'protagonist' of the story is the one who will decide the winner of the war. His participation is of paramount importance. If this world is any similar to the one I'm familiar with, then whichever side he decides to support will emerge victorious in the war. Regardless of what I or anyone else tries, that is a fact and not a single soul can change it.

Is there any point to my presence aside from being cannon fodder with someone like him around?

Probably. I will have to wait and see. I do believe I have got a purpose to fulfill.

Whatever it is Byleth does, I still have to avoid death. I don't think I have been sent to Fódlan just to die. There must be something I have to do.

Another thing to keep in mind is my departure from the Black Eagles once Edelgard reveals her true intentions. I might be on the same side as her due to my 'origins' but that doesn't mean I will support the Empire once she starts her warpath. I sure hope Lord Navarro understands; he wouldn't want to be part of that war anyway, right?

Sadly, I don't know him that well to have an answer.

My allegiance will affect him, so that's a decision I will have to think carefully about it while I have the time.

Am I being too selfish, I wonder. Withdrawing from the Empire would be the same as showing the middle finger to Lord Navarro, I am not sure if I can do that; the guy helped me out during tough times after all. Hopefully, he will be against Edelgard or we'll have some high levels of drama going on.

Just what am I supposed to do? Like the game, there is no _right_ path. Fuck me sideways.

"This line of thought is only making the trip even worse," I said to myself while rubbing my temples.

This internal turmoil is only making me hungry.

Groaning, I took a bag of snacks I had saved under the seat in front of me. Nothing fancy, just some cereal-based snacks I picked up on our last stop in case I felt like eating out of schedule. I had yet to try them, but I was told they were sweet so it better be-

"Master Alfonse, I can already see it. We are almost there!" a dry voice, coming from outside, announced.

Thank god.

I got up, opening the small window in the wall in front of me, one that separated the passenger area from the driver's.

"George, please tell me that by 'almost there' you mean less than ten minutes. I can't stand being on the road anymore" I stated with no attempt to hide my annoyance.

George, the driver, turned around wearing that mild smile of his and answered calmly: "I would say somewhere around twenty minutes Master, I can already see it's walls but there is still a bit of distance to cover."

It will be the longest twenty minutes of my life.

Better get ready.

* * *

Garreg Mach could be divided into two parts, the town and the monastery alongside the Officer's Academy. The town is named after the monastery due to its proximity. Obviously, to get to the monastery itself, we have to go through the town.

To get into the town you have to pass its massive walls, albeit I feel that word might not do justice to how big those walls actually are, they are easily as tall as a 20 story building. Sure it might not sound like much, but here in Fódlan, that is gigantic. Its color shared a similar tone with the mountains that surrounded it with a less natural feel to it. It doesn't take much thinking to tell that both the town and monastery are more of a fortress than anything else.

The jam in the entrance was moderate but it didn't take more than a few minutes to pass the gates. After George exchanged a few words with the guards, that I didn't get to hear, we were on our way.

The town itself didn't look too different from others we visited along the way. The only real difference would be the presence of the church in it. Not only could you see a good amount of priests and nuns around town but also the Knights of Seiros. Both groups were easy to spot thanks to their outfits and the way they carried themselves, especially the knights, their shining white armor is unique.

I was just glad we were on a paved road once again, my buttcheeks were especially thankful.

It took us around ten to fifteen minutes to traverse from one side of the town to the other. While the town was by no means small, the number of merchants, church affiliates, knights and what I assume were some sort of mercenaries plus all the bustling and hustling gave off a different type of feeling. One that tricks you into perceiving the place to be much bigger than what it actually is.

_I think I saw an 'Anna' somewhere in the crowd._

I will have enough time to explore the town on my days off. So my curiosity can wait to be satisfied till later.

The students get days off, right? I can't recall if they actually did, if not then that would only make my stay slightly more miserable.

I kind of know what to expect from the Officer's Academy, battle tactics, weapons training, magic, the usual. I just hope this type of school life doesn't take a heavy toll on me.

To ease my worries, I try to imagine Garreg Mach as some sort of Hogwarts even if they don't have that much in common, but hey, as long as it works.

No longer than a few minutes after leaving town, we arrived at the entrance of the Monastery.

Its architecture was something to behold. I am not an expert in the matter but the Monastery looked so different from the one I saw in Enbarr (they have one over there too). Its numerous towers and buildings decorated by pinnacles that accentuated their verticality, making it look even more imposing than they already were. It was as if it was trying to reach beyond the sky.

How did they even manage to build such architectural wonders this high into the mountains baffles me. Wouldn't that be interesting to know?

While my mind was wandering the great plains holding the aimless questions of humankind, the wagon came to a stop.

_Alright, I am finally here. Remember, play it cool._

Not long after that, the door opened, letting a few rays of sunshine into the wagon and blinding me for half a second. I grabbed the small backpack I had with me and stepped outside.

Waiting outside was George, standing tall and wearing the same old and supporting smile he always has.

The first thing I did was to take a look around me. The Monastery was a sight to behold. The name didn't do justice to how magnificent it was, and I had only passed the main entrance.

"It seems you are glad to finally be at your destination Young Master, " George said, before closing the wagon's door.

I stopped admiring my surroundings and looked at him with a raised brow "Well, I did say before leaving the manor that long road trips aren't my forte," I replied while dusting off my shirt "How could you tell anyway?"

"You were smiling a second ago, it is not hard to miss. You don't do it much after all," he affirmed

Sounds weird but he is right. Since my arrival to Fódlan, I can't bring myself to smile as much as I used to. It doesn't come as naturally to me, not anymore.

"I guess that only reinforces my point of how much I dislike traveling on a wagon, not that I am blaming it on your driving skills but the road was too bumpy for my liking" I stated with slight annoyance at the memory of the four-day trip we had.

"Indeed, traveling around the countryside can have its inconveniences but I find it rather enjoyable." He began climbing to the top of the wagon and started untying the rope holding the luggage together.

After a few stretches, I took another look at my surroundings; I finally was in Garreg Mach. Ever since my arrival to Fódlan I knew I was bound to set foot in this place, the mere thought of doing so was intimidating at first but with time that feeling almost disappeared. My presence here had to have a meaning, so I mentally prepared myself for this.

I heard a person cough behind me.

"Alfonse Navarro I presume?" a feminine voice asked.

Turning around I found myself looking at what I assume, giving her attire, was a nun with two fully armored knights by her side.

"Yes, that would be me," I replied.

"Excellent, we were expecting you," she said while looking at a clipboard she had at hand. "You arrived a little later than expected so we had to make some arrangements to our schedule, I hope you don't mind."

Ah yes, we had a small delay yesterday. There was an accident and we couldn't turn a blind eye to the situation. Although I wasn't expecting it to take almost half the day.

"No, that is quite alright. It's our fault after all," I think I heard George say something as well from atop of the wagon, probably a complaint about that little delay. "What changes in the schedule are those anyway?"

Taking her eyes off the clipboard she answered "Luckily, not too much. You only missed lunch and the guide we had reserved to show you around the Monastery is unavailable, I'm afraid you'll have to do the exploring on your own."

Could be worse.

"That doesn't sound so bad, but I suppose I can manage," I said to which she simply nodded. "Wait, you can at least guide me to my room, right?"

"There are still a few students arriving today so I am unable to do so but worry not, the knights here can help you with that," she said pointing to one of the knights beside her.

That explains why the knights were there, and here I was starting to think they were being a little too tight on security.

"That helps, let me grab my luggage and we can be on our way."

I turned to grab my recently unloaded luggage, only to find myself with the surprise that I had more baggage than hands to carry it. I had three of them. Naturally, I was a little short on hands to carry them.

I have the bad habit of packing too much.

I'm going to need some help with this.

Seeing my situation; George, who was standing next to the wagon after unloading everything, came to lend me a hand.

"Let me carry this for you Young Master, I won't be seeing you for a while after all," he said.

Then one of the knights approached. "It's alright sir, I will take it for you. I'm sorry but the higher-ups don't want anyone but the students or Monastery personnel into the dorms," he said after taking the luggage from him.

George looked at me somewhat confused and disappointed to which I, due to a lack of a better reaction only shrugged.

The knights started walking towards the dorms but I told them to wait for me, I had something to do first.

I approached George, there is no way I'm leaving without giving the old man a proper goodbye.

"I guess this is it. I am sorry you had to tolerate my short temper throughout this trip George," I said, a hand scratching the back of my neck.

He chuckled to my answer "There is nothing to apologize for Master, I knew you had a bad temper when on the road and, to be honest, you are not the first one I know that acts that way."

"Still, I should keep my attitude in check," I affirmed "But that's not everything I wanted to say. I also wanted to thank you for everything you have done for me. You were one of the few that treated me kindly and accepted me on my first weeks in that house, you never glared at me, ignored me or anything of that sort. For that, I am truly grateful George, and I really mean it."

There was a brief pause after those words left my mouth, it wasn't an awkward one, but I can't deny I was a little embarrassed after saying that.

George smiled disappeared from his face, he didn't look upset though, more like he was in thought with his frown vaguely furrowed.

"I was always good at reading people and well... you didn't strike me as someone with bad intentions when we first met. You were not like the others, Alfonse. Back then, all your actions revolved around your survival. There was no ill will in them," he paused, his frown disappearing. "There is no point in beating yourself up about it, let it remain in the past. Give yourself a second chance like you've been doing these past few months," he reassured with a smile returning to his face.

It was good to know someone had a good image of me in the first days after my adoption. While Lord Navarro 'kindly' adopted me as his son, the servants were not too kind on the idea, except for a handful of them, George being one of them. Right from the get-go, he was friendly towards me. Naturally, I was cautious at first, thinking it to be some sort of trick waiting to happen. In the end, he had nothing but good intentions.

"Anyway!" He huffed, "Don't worry about such trivial matters Master, focus on enjoying your stay at the Academy, the place it's quite something, after all, that and—" he got close, almost whispering to my ear "—I heard there are a lot of pretty girls in the Academy, so don't let the chance slip." he said with a smirk, both eyebrows rapidly moving up and down.

_God damn it George._

"You know I don't share father's point of view regarding that topic, right? I'm not interested in looking for a spouse right now and probably not anytime soon."

He chuckled, "You should give it a try, you never know what will happen. Did I ever tell you how I met my wife?"

"Yes, you did, like four times on our way here," I said, almost grumbling. It was a lovely story but I would rather not hear it again. "If it makes you feel any better, I will keep it in mind, alright? But beyond that, no promises."

"Works for me." He climbed to the driver's seat. "Do take care of yourself; I'll be coming for you after your graduation, Master," he said before grabbing the reins.

_I don't think I'll reach that point._

Seeing George ready to depart was making me feel a little emotional. His face is the last one I will be seeing of Lord Navarro's household for a while, maybe years depending on how things go.

"Goodbye, George. Have a safe trip home." I said as nonchalantly as possible. I have an appearance to maintain after all.

Giving me a quick nod and a wave with his right hand, he pulled the reins to the left, turning the wagon and starting the annoying trip back home. This time without my presence, which means no stopping at inns, making the trip back much faster I hope.

If I wanted to leave this place, be uninvolved with the conflict to come, I can still make a run for the wagon. Tell him to stop and leave this place with him, for the better but no. Whatever destiny holds for me in the future, I just know it revolves around the main story of the game. My presence here _needs_ to have a meaning and I will find it out.

With the wagon a few meters down the road, I swiftly took the remaining luggage that was on the ground and walked towards the knights behind me.

"So gentlemen, shall we go now?"

* * *

The walk to the dorms took longer than expected, which shouldn't have surprised me since the Monastery grounds were much larger than what the game showed. It was only expected for the distance between places to be increased as well.

Aside from the size, everything else seemed to be in 'order' with the game's information.

For example, the fishing pond in front of the dining room was at least 3 times larger than what was shown in the game but still had the same shape and fishing cabin next to it.

Sadly, I couldn't inspect the interior of any building since the walk to the dorms didn't require us passing through any of them, I followed the knights for about 7 minutes before reaching the dorms. On our way there, we passed next to the dining room, fishing pond, and greenhouse. The last one taking me by surprise, being a little tucked to the left than from what I thought was it's normal position, making for more space between it and the pond.

Speaking of knights, I got a little pep talk from them about what is expected from the students while living in the Monastery.

Nothing out of the ordinary, keep a degree of respect towards the staff and, obviously, towards the goddess herself. It was also mentioned that students will be required to fulfill certain chores each month.

Respect for the goddess was something rather obvious, given the location of the place so they didn't touch the subject much. Although they went into detail with the explanation of chores. In most cases, the teachers themselves will choose which students will do certain chores, but for the rest of them, the Headmaster will provide a list each week in which it will assign students to different chores. Most of the tasks involve helping with the care and cleaning of the monastery, help with the cooking, and suchlike.

In other words, they want the noble kids to get their hands dirty. Hardships builds character, am I right?

Once in front of the dorms, I realized that it was split in two, which one the knights explained to me was for separating boys from girls. It makes sense, the last thing the church wants is to deal with is horny teenagers.

We went up the stairs and turned to the left, the boys' side. We passed a couple of rooms until we reached what I suppose was mine, room 217.

_No number 13 on it? Good._

Without much delay, the door was opened, two knights went in with me behind them. It was quite spacious, almost to the size of a normal living room even though it's design remained simple and already had some furniture in it: a bed, desk, drawers, two wardrobes, and a bedside table; all of them in a good state and, upon closer inspection, recently cleaned.

After only a few seconds inside and a quick look around, I instantly recognized the baggage that Lord Navarro had sent a few days in advance on top of the bed, alongside other gifts that he saw fit to send as well.

_For an adoptive father, he sure pampers me a lot._

"Very well, I hope all the information we gave you comes useful during you stay here," said one of the knight carrying one of the bags as he left it on the floor "We will leave you be, I assume you will want time to get use to your new room and get everything in order."

"I do, thank you for your help," I replied, leaving my luggage on top of the bed.

Before leaving, one of the knights handed me a pair of keys for the room. Fared me well and left the room with slight haste in his step, he probably had somewhere else to be. Attending to some sort of knightly duties perhaps? I'm not well informed in the matter anyway.

Shortly after they were gone I sat on the edge of the bed and reflected upon my current situation, letting it sink in my mind, silence taking over the room while I did so.

"So I'm finally here," I sighed, closing my eyes. "What have I gotten myself into?" I asked out loud rubbing the bridge of my nose.

Now that I think about it, coming to Garreg Mach seemed like the most logical choice out of anything else in my first days here. What else was I supposed to do? I magically show up in Fódlan and don't get involved in the main storyline? Of course not. Sure it will contain death, traumatic events, battles against demigods and legends, but it's not like I have much of a choice.

Maybe I did have a choice, but this course of action seemed appropriate.

_It is a little too late for regrets anyway._

This line of thought is getting a little too grim for my liking, better start unpacking before my mind slowly starts derailing into madness. Bonus points if I get it done before I run out of sunlight, I have a lot to unpack after all.

Let's start with the ones that were sent in advance, a feeling of uncertainty ought to make the unpacking more interesting if slightly.

I grabbed the closest luggage I had in range, bringing it closer; it seemed fragile by the way it was packed. I could hear some sort of chiming sound coming from the inside.

"Let's see what he sent me, it better be worth m—"

…

Uh.

You have to be kidding me.

A fucking tea set.

For real?

"I should've expected as much."

My face felt like it had turned into stone, not by anger, but for the fact the I had set my expectations on something more…interesting, only to get sorely disappointed in a matter of seconds. If anything, this is a reality check.

Sometimes I forget that I was adopted by a noble family.

I am a noble now. At least on paper and not by blood, not like many know that little secret anyway.

I groaned in irritation at the thought of unpacking the rest of it, how many other 'pleasant' surprises am I going to find I wonder, hopefully not many.

Carefully putting the tea set aside I continued the unpacking process, only to find a box full of fancy handkerchiefs.

This is going to take longer than I expected.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, I finished unpacking, most of the bags, and putting it away where I saw fit. It took me at the very least a few hours to get it done, from the window I could tell the daylight was almost gone, with the night was starting to settle. Perhaps I could grab an early dinner since I missed lunch due to my late arrival. It certainly can't hurt to check if the kitchen is already serving dinner.

I had some hope to see a familiar face on my way out of the dorms but no; I did see a few students, but they were just 'background' students, none of them were the ones I knew. Whatever the case, I'll be seeing them eventually, it's not like I'm in a hurry to meet them anyway, I don't want to get too attached to anyone here after all; I have my reasons for it.

My peaceful walk to the dining hall was interrupted by a shrill shriek coming from the dorms. While I doubted it was anything worth worrying about, I couldn't help but satisfy my curiosity, so I went to take a look.

My sight was welcomed with two knights carrying on their shoulders a terrified looking and agitated, purple short-haired girl. Who looked oddly familiar.

It only took me a few seconds to recognize her.

_Bernadetta._

I know she is a recluse so to my eyes her behavior is understandable, but she is making quite the scene right now. I know it's her first time here so she must be scared to death, to say the least, but that first impression she is giving is going to be burned in the memory of everyone present. Way to go Bernie.

"Lady Bernadetta could you ple—" one knight got interrupted by a quick to the face "We're only trying to get you to your room, please stop struggling!"

"Where am I?! What is this place?! Where are you taking me?! Is this a kidnapping?! Put me down, put me down, put me down!" she cried out as much as her lungs allowed her.

"Keep her legs still, she keeps kicking me in the back!" ordered the other knight.

I have to admit, as a third party witnessing this, it's kind of funny. I do feel bad for Bernadetta and the knights carrying her though. I'm sure none of them want to be in the position they are now, but damn is it hilarious.

The whole ordeal only lasted for a few seconds before they arrived at what I assume was her room on the first floor, with the knights swiftly evacuating after leaving her inside. The door slamming behind them almost as soon as they left.

Thinking about it; I will be sharing classes with her, so the earlier I get used to her shenanigans the better, it's not like that conduct of hers is going away anytime soon. Although I'll try to keep my interactions with her to a minimum unless necessary.

The people dispersed after the _show_ was over and the same applies to me, continuing my way to the dining hall.

I went through the large door that faced the fishing pond, it was closed but not locked, surprisingly it wasn't as heavy as its appearance suggested.

Unlike what I expected, the dining hall size wasn't as huge as I imagined it to be. It was still fairly big, extensive dining tables, lots of chairs and some good-looking chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. How do they turn the candles on those anyway? Magic?

Perhaps the feeling of grandiose I had for the Monastery was making me think everything is going to be bigger than what it was in the game. Everything had been accurate in that regard, both fishing pond and dorms were bigger than what it was shown.

After giving the place a quick glance, I realized that dinner was already being served. Following the will of my hunger, I went for it. Luckily since I was early, there wasn't much of a line for getting some food. The lady in charge of serving did give me a second look and asked if I was a student; I wasn't wearing my uniform and I clearly wasn't part of the Monastery staff so I couldn't blame her. The confusion was cleared in a few seconds and I got my servings.

I took a seat in the corner of one of the tables. Since the place wasn't full, finding a seat to eat by myself wasn't particularly difficult. I didn't feel like having company, especially when everyone is a stranger to me.

Sweet and Salty Whitefish Saute was today's special, appealing to the eye but nothing special in my book. Regardless of the presentation, it was tasty, maybe they overdid it a little with the salt, it's not quite balanced with the sweetness. Also, the fish seems slightly overcooked. It's definitely as good as the food back at home.

_I shouldn't complain._

It's almost funny for me to think that way when I was eating in the streets less than two years ago, and eating normal food back at my real home before that. One would think that after going through such events, one would learn to be more humble, yet here I am judging the food like a spoiled little shit.

_The noble lifestyle is rubbing off on me._

In the end, the flavor didn't matter much, I was hungry and how it tasted was the least of my worries. In fact, I finished the plate and went for seconds, getting an odd look from the same lady from before, but no objections. I assume people don't go for seconds too often here.

While _decently_ devouring my second plate, I took the liberty to look at my surroundings again just to see if I could spot a familiar face and, surprise, I actually did. It was not only one face I recognized but two. At first, I wasn't sure, but that tone of green hair? Big give away.

Unsurprisingly, Flayn and Seteth were sharing a meal. They were seated one a different table, at the other side of the hall, hence why it took me some time to spot them. They seem to be talking about something, a rather normal conversation by the look on their faces.

I forced my eyesight a little to catch a better view of them, trying to make it as subtle as possible.

Rocking that drill hairstyle, or whatever it is called, Flayn looked as adorable as I expected her to be. I could barely get a hold of her eyes from where I was sitting, and of course, they were focused on her meal, today's special is a dish with fish on it, she really had a liking for it if I recall correctly. She even looks adorable while eating, how does she even do that?

Then there was Seteth sitting next to her, again looking exactly how I remember him to be. Keeping th-

He is making eye contact with me.

Wait a second. Why is he looking at me? What's with that glare? A combination of dumbfoundedness and annoyance.

Oh no.

He caught me staring at Flayn.

_Now I fucked up._

My subtleness didn't work for shit, he somehow found out I was looking at them, at Flayn especially. It hasn't even been a day here and I'm most likely already on bad terms with him.

In the frame of a millisecond, I stopped what I was doing, lowering my head, changing my focus towards my own plate and hoping for him to let me off the hook. Which I get the feeling won't be that easy.

I stayed like that for a few minutes till I mustered the courage to raise my head.

He is still looking at me; his eyes locked on mine. God help me.

_Shitshitshitshitshit_

I'm getting the hell out of here.

I tried eating what was left on my plate as fast as possible. I didn't even chew, I just put it all in my mouth trying to swallow it without choking in the process. Better that than having Seteth giving me those glares any longer which are really uncomfortable, not to mention intimidating.

Perhaps if I leave fast enough, he'll forget my face and won't try to kill me in my sleep.

I know he won't do it but that is what I feel he would do when he looks at me like that.

Wait, do I have to return the plate?

Screw it, there is no time for that. I'm leaving.

With my gaze focused on the floor, I left the dining hall, walking fast, close to running. I was able to not stumble with anyone on my way out.

Once outside I was able to calm down and get a hold of myself. Hopefully, no one saw that.

Note to self, don't talk to Flayn.

Actually, let's not even interact with her. For what I saw, Seteth can be slightly intimidating, and the last thing I want is another reason to be stressed, and I have plenty of things to worry about already.

With nothing else to do for the day, I returned to my room. Classes start in two days so I'll try to take some time tomorrow to do some exploring. I don't think I'll cover the entire Monastery but there are some places I feel are worth checking, the Cathedral or perhaps the training grounds.

The dorms were quiet when I arrived, not that I expected anything else. I was used to noisy roommates back on Earth so it was only natural that a part of me expected it to happen here as well. I'm glad to be wrong.

I'll get some things ready for tomorrow and I'll head to bed I'm not actually tired, but I don't really feel like doing anything else. Getting some extra sleep never hurt anyone.

Once in my room, I laid in bed only for a second; I still had some things to accommodate, with the room being vaguely messy. That second on the bed turned into a minute, and that minute turned to two and then to five. Before I knew it, I was on my merry way to dreamland.

The beginning of the story is just around the corner and I'm not sure if I'll be able to handle it.

Something within me says it will all work out in the end, even if that inner voice has failed me in the past.

Regardless, It can't be that difficult, right?

God, please let me be right.

* * *

**You made it all the way down here, I assume that's because you read the whole chapter. If that is the case then, thank you very much**

**I had this idea for a fic for quite some time now and I felt that I had to write it down before my motivation died, which is common for me. Perhaps with one chapter down, I'll be motivated enough to keep it going, but worry not, even if don't muster the motivation I can always rely on pure power of will to do so.**

**This chapter didn't have any action on it, I know. I was going to add a training session of some sort but it felt kinda off, so I might do one for the next chapter. I hope the few glimpses we got of other characters felt genuine, I spent some time trying to make those little interactions look as believable as possible.**

**Also, I'm missing an editor/proofreader so there is a high chance you might have found a few errors up there, sorry about that.**

**Last but not least, I'd like to thank everyone at the Treehouse Discord, they probably won't read this story anytime soon, but they helped me get my shit together and finally get some writing done. I'll leave a link in case you feel like joining us, there are some good authors in there. **

**Here is the link: /9XG3U7a**

**I'll try to keep a regular post schedule, most likely one chapter every two or three weeks.**

**I really thank you for taking interest in my fic, this is not the last you'll see of it I promise.**

**See you next time!**


	2. And So It Begins

**7th day of the Great Tree Moon**

One day before classes begin.

The day had gone by uneventfully. I got around to make a tour through the Monastery grounds early in the morning, it took longer than expected since I got lost more than once in the process. I was able to spot a few familiar faces during the day, but I didn't engage in conversation seeing I had no reason to do so. I might know them but they don't know me, let's try to keep it that way unless necessary.

Aside from lunch, that left me with almost the entire afternoon available to do whatever I desired.

Truth be told, there isn't much to do in the Monastery itself. The town might provide some entertainment but walking all the way down there doesn't sound like an attractive idea for the time being. In the end, I'll pay a visit to the training grounds, it's one of the few places I've yet to visit. I could also get some training done while I'm at it.

Like every other place, the training grounds were way bigger than what I remembered them to be. It's even divided into different training areas, one for melee weapons, one for archery and one for magic. However, what seized my attention was the small arena in the middle of it all. According to what I was told, it's used for tournaments held once or twice per month. Like the ones in the game I assume.

One would think, with the classes yet to officially begin that the training grounds would be empty but no. The place packed with students from all the three houses, from top to bottom. They were either training, socializing and sometimes both.

It shouldn't have come as a surprise given that classes start tomorrow. This means that almost every, if not all, students should've arrived to the Monastery by now. I suppose the training grounds are a good spot to hang out? Unexpected.

However in Sylvain's case, (who I spotted out of the corner of my eye) flirting was the go-to activity. Not that it comes as a surprise to me.

Speaking of Sylvain, next to him was most of the Blue Lion gang, at least the ones I remember. I could see Ingrid, Ashe, Dedue, Felix and of course Dimitri; plus a bunch of unnamed students. I know it sounds mean to call them like that but if the game never gave them any spotlight whatsoever I assume their relevance to the story is minimal to none.

I wonder if the same can be said about me.

Seeing how full it was, my motivation for training died out relatively quick. I rather train in an environment with little to no people around, it allows for better focus. The situation was turn off for me. Although if this number of people are a common thing around here, I better start getting used to it.

"Alright then, where is the training equipment stored?" I asked myself out loud while looking for the storage room around the borders of the training grounds.

Everyone here is using wooden weapons, so I assume they picked them up from somewhere. It shouldn't be hard to find where from.

After a minute walking around like a clueless idiot I found what seemed like a storage room with a knight standing in front of it. I assume he's in charge of it.

I approached him, kindly requested a training sword and he handed one to me without much delay. He only asked for my name, although I don't know why since I could see he wasn't writing it down.

For a wooden sword, it's weight seemed fitting. It felt like any other normal longsword aside from being slightly lighter. I've never been much of sword connoisseur myself, but since it's my weapon of choice, I at least have some basic understanding about them.

When it comes to actual fighting, I know how to swing it, thrust, parry, and counter; the basics. Back at 'home', I was forcefully taught about it, like it or not. In the end, it grew on me, as more of a need rather than anything else. With time sword practice became a routine for me. Stopping the need for any external pressure.

With a sword in my hand, I started looking for a training dummy. While they were many available, I wanted one isolated from the rest.

It didn't take too long to find the dummy I was looking for. I still had people around me but at least I had more room to practice calmly.

"Now…How sturdy is this thing?" I asked myself while carefully poking the dummy with the tip of the sword.

It was a simple dummy. It had a sword and a shield attached to its arms alongside a wooden stick keeping him standing. Not like I was expecting anything more complex.

It seemed like it could take a couple of hits without much of a problem.

Back at home, I used to spar either with a personal sword instructor or one of the manor guards who enjoyed beating the living shit out of me. Those guys had a bone to pick with me. They took the chance to do so whenever the opportunity presented itself.

After spending a few seconds doing stretches I positioned myself two to three meters in front of the dummy.

Focusing on the target in sight with the sword at the ready I charged towards the dummy, aiming for its 'neck'.

A feeling of uneasiness built up within me while charging towards it.

A second before striking it, I came to a stop. My sight on it, yet my sword still.

As expected, I don't like this.

The lack of a sparring partner makes a noticeable difference, it just doesn't feel the same with an unmovable target. How do people even get better with beating a dummy anyway? I get it that it works for long-distance attacks like magic and archery but it doesn't cut it in melee combat, at least for me.

"It seems I'm going to need someone to train with," I said to myself, lowering the sword.

"So you are needing someone to help sparring?"

Whoever that was, it caught me by surprise, making me do a small jump and letting out a barely audible (and manly) yelp.

I turned around to see who the owner of said voice was, and to my surprise, I found myself looking at a familiar face. One I hadn't seen before but I knew I was bound to encounter at some point.

That type of uniform, those braids and hair color, that mark under the eye and the tanned skin, there is no denying who this person is.

"Petra…"

"You are knowing me? I am not remembering meeting you," she said, tilting her head with some confusion in her voice.

Shit, I said it out loud.

"Um…n-no, I-I mean yes. You're Petra, heir to the throne of Brigid, right? I hail from the Empire so I was aware you were coming here. You're...em, hard to miss."

"Hard to miss? You mean you aiming towards me?" she said now with slightly furrowed brows and even more confusion.

In a different setting, that phrase could've easily caused some misunderstandings.

"No. What I meant was that you are easy to identify. You look…different from the rest," I replied, hopefully clearing things up. I don't want to be on 'weird' terms with Petra.

"Different…I have understanding, my appearance is one of uniqueness in Fodlan," she replied. All while keeping eye contact, which was starting to get a little uncomfortable by now.

"So you're in neediness of a training partner, correct?" She continued, "I have need of one as well. Perhaps we can aid one another. Are you in agreeance?" she questioned.

A training partner will suit me just fine, but if I'm being honest, I wasn't expecting anyone would offer to train with me. Especially one of the main characters, but this is just my type of luck I suppose. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

Sadly, I declared my need for a training partner out loud, so I might as well accept her help, I don't want to come as rude. "Since we are both in need one sure, I accept your proposal Petra," I said, with some doubt in my voice.

Her lips curled, forming a small smile, "I have gratitude" she said while doing a small bow.

She positioned herself, taking a few steps back, training sword at the ready and with her gaze focused on me. She stood there, waiting for me to prepare as well. And of course, I wasn't ready, I was distracted by paying attention to her rather than getting ready myself, as expected.

It took no longer than a few seconds to position myself, facing Petra whose serious and unwavering demeanor was starting to get a little scary. Her mind was in training mode right now. She was a girl that took things seriously for what little I remember of her.

Alright here it comes, my first spar against a 'main' character who, I'm pretty sure, can kick my ass five times in a row without breaking much of a sweat. While my sword skills are decent enough, they're nothing to write home about. Being properly trained for a couple of months can only get you so far.

"Ready when you are Petra," I announced.

Without a second to waste, Petra charged at me as soon as those words left my mouth.

I expected her to be fast, but never this fast. This was too much.

Petra closed what little distance was between us in less than 3 seconds, giving me barely enough time to react.

My plans to gain some momentum by charging first were thrown out the window in a matter of seconds.

As soon as she was in front she swung her sword aiming for my torso. Taking a step back I was narrowly able to parry her attack, making me lose some balance in the process.

With her attack stopped, I intended to counter-attack, only to be faced with yet another attack from Petra, this time coming from the left.

Again, taken another step back, I was able to parry it. Her attacks carried quite the punch. I couldn't imagine how she managed to pull those attacks.

Petra kept attacking, from different angles every time she had the chance and I kept parrying and sometimes dodging by the skin of my teeth.

The grip on my sword shook with every attack I blocked. There was some serious strength behind her attacks, she was using her whole body to power them.

I couldn't let myself get hit by those.

Soon, the only thing my ears registered was the clash of wood against wood, nothing else. The voices or noise from the adjacent students were cut off.

I was completely concentrated on parrying and dodging.

We were at an impasse, none of us could take the other down. For how long had we been doing this? Seconds? Minutes? I had no track of time.

My attention was solely focused on the movement of her sword. Everything else was ignored.

Big mistake.

It wasn't until after parrying an attack aimed for my left shoulder that my back hit something hard. A wall?

After every parried attack, I had taken one or two steps back. I was inevitably going to reach the limit of the training grounds if I kept doing so. And so I did.

I was trapped, my poor defensive technique cost me dearly.

Without any other choice at hand, I thought forcing myself to go for a sudden offensive attack, would free, allowing me to sidestep.

My attack never came.

Petra wasn't leaving any room for me to breath and without the option to step back any further, she pressed even harder, like she was planning this from the very beginning.

I managed to parry one more attack from the left but was unable to do so with it's the follow-up, which came from above.

The impact was swift and precise, aimed to finish me.

She landed one final blow somewhere between my neck and right shoulder. That single hit was enough to make me drop my sword.

I was defeated.

I let out a groan of pain.

The blow and the pain itself made it so that I fell to the ground without much resistance.

Falling on my knees, tired by the long struggle we had. One hand resting on the ground while the other one on my shoulder, where she landed the 'killing blow'. It hurt quite a bit. If that wasn't clear enough of how much of a difference in skill there was between, then my heavy panting sure gave it away.

I could feel the sweat in my face, and a few drops of it reaching the ground while I kneeled. Was I really that out of shape? Was I really that behind in terms of skill and strength? This might be why she is one of the important characters in Three Houses, I'm nothing compared to her.

Speaking of Petra, I had forgotten she was still standing in front of me, watching me. When I raised my head to see what she was up to, I met her gaze. It was like she was judging me. Although it didn't change much from the one she had while fighting. It was hard to tell, I wasn't paying much attention to her face during it anyway.

After closer inspection, I could see that she was worn out as well. Granted that not at the same level as I, but I could see her breathing was a little rough, her chest moving in and out, slightly faster than normal.

I tried standing up, it took me more effort than expected. "I-I'm sorry Petra…" I managed to let out in between pants "I suppose…I'm not much of a sparring partner." Finally being able to stand up, with one hand resting on my thigh and the other on my shoulder. That blow did hurt.

"Do not be saying that, I had great difficult… difficulty against you. You made the fighting extended, I had no anticipation of it," she said before switching her gaze towards my shoulder, her face changing to worried expression. "I am sorry, I had no intention to be causing you damage, I am not having great control over my strength, I am always taking the fighting with seriousness."

Not sure if she is being modest, even if she is, the fact that I stood my ground gives some confidence. I never took myself as an exceptional fighter, a decent one at best.

"Worry not Petra, I'm sure there ought to be some healers around here to help me. I don't think it's anything serious anyway." I replied, taking my hand from my shoulder and picking the sword on the ground. "But before that… would you like to try another round, perhaps two?"

I may not be as good as her, but I'll never get any better if I don't keep practicing. I was convinced my current skill was enough to pull me through the first months without issue but after that defeat, my satisfaction on my abilities died pretty quickly.

"Are you having certainess?" Petra asked "Perhaps the healing should be first," she said, referring to my shoulder.

I waved my hand from side to side, "No need, I overreacted." I lied, it did hurt quite a bit. "I can keep going, although I'd appreciate if you restrain yourself a little more."

Her eyes were on me for a few seconds after replying. Examining me I assume.

"I will be having more restraint in this time, I promise," she finally said before turning around, walking back to her initial position.

Better start before I get second thoughts about this.

I followed her, situating myself in front and leaving some distance between us, just like before. While my body felt slightly heavier than before, it wasn't anything I hadn't felt before and she must be tired as well, even if a little, so we're on equal footing here. I hope.

"And just so you know don't expect things to go the same way as before." I cautioned her. Although I don't see myself winning, showing some extra confidence never hurt anyone.

"I have understanding, I will also be using a different method of attack." she cautioned back, her serious demeanor returning, I could see in both facial expression and voice tone.

"We'll see about that." I taunted, before charging at her.

* * *

**8th day of the Great Tree Moon**

My waking up process was slower and slightly more painful than usual. The sparring session I had with Petra lasted more than what I had planned. As expected she swept the floor with me, regardless of it all, I did manage to beat her once, but I don't think it's worth much when I lost 14 out 15 rounds.

Unluckily for me, the healer on duty that day was unavailable, perhaps he wasn't expecting any serious injury a day before classes started. I ended up asking a student for help, there are a few capable in healing magic around here. Although to my surprise, their capability in it was…a little limited. How can I tell? Well the pain from the bruises I'm feeling right now is a pretty good indicator. Odd, since I had no pain after getting healed yesterday.

Healing magic is weird.

With or without pain, it's an important day, and I can't let myself be bothered by bruises. Not today.

Classes start today and according to what I was told there is some sort of opening ceremony held in the Cathedral before the actual classes start. I'm not sure what to expect, the game never gave any information about an opening ceremony, or did I forget about it?

Hastily but carefully I got out of bed and went for the wardrobe, The one that had my uniform in it.

As I recall, and from what little I've seen so far. The Officer's Academy is very flexible when it comes to the uniforms. The student can alter it to his liking and can have as many variations of it as he wants as well as adding accessories as long as they're not too extravagant with them. The only rule they have to follow is to keep the same pattern of colors intact while adding not adding new ones. There are a few exceptions to the rule I think, mostly for the house leaders.

I opened the wardrobe and took out the hanger that had my uniform on it and placed it on top of my messy bed.

Unlike many students, I didn't alter my uniform at all. I didn't really care much for it. I just don't have the creativity for such task. The only thing I did was add a pair of black gloves to the set. They were of simple design, tight to the skin but soft at the same time, I forgot what material they were made of.

_Let's just get this over with._

Getting dressed was nothing complicated, the uniform was simple enough so it didn't take much time. Once I was done, I proceeded to make myself look more presentable, like combing as using some perfume (one of those fancy ones they sent me). Like it or not, I have to keep the appearance of being from noble birth after all.

I don't like referring to myself as a noble, yet my current situation demands it. Thanks to the adoption, I need to play the part of a noble. Not only for my sake, but also for Lord Navarro's as well, I don't want to raise any suspicions about my origins. Keeping the profile of a regular student is what I aim for.

I took a good look at myself in the full-length mirror in the corner of the room. I don't like to say it out loud but I look quite refined with this garments on. The uniform spotless, my hair properly combed and my face not so sleepy-looking. I'm ready.

With all set and done, I left the room and went on with my day. Hopefully, nothing stressful will happen.

Before going to the Cathedral for the opening ceremony I went for some breakfast, like everyone else. On my way and in the mess hall I saw plenty of students, eager or rather, excited for the classes. It was easy to tell they were in a good mood, their conversations were lively and I could notice many with smiles on their faces while going on with their morning routines.

It's a good thing they're looking forward to the Academy I suppose, but if they knew what I know, they most likely wouldn't be so happy about it. Hence why it's hard for me to be in such a mood, how can I show live without a care in the world, knowing what is to come. That's right, I can't.

The walk to the Cathedral didn't take more than a few minutes, I could've done it in less time but I wasn't in a hurry, I was quite ahead of time actually. I just don't like arriving just in time to important events, or any event for that matter. Also, I took some time to enjoy the scenery from the bridge, the one connecting the Cathedral with the rest of the Monastery. I've always been a sucker for that kind of thing.

When I finally passed the enormous gates of the Cathedral, I stumble myself with a body of students in the middle of it, arranged in different groups, three to be precise, in between the altar and church benches. It didn't take much thinking to tell why they were grouped that way. One quick look around later and I could see small-sized banners in front of each group. Each one of them displaying a coat of arms of one of the houses.

Alright, that's simple enough.

I approached the group of students standing behind the Black Eagles banner. I did so rather shyly since I don't really know anyone in that house, aside from Petra who I just 'met' yesterday.

I'll just stay behind them minding my own business till this whole thing is over. I'm not particularly interested in seeing how the ceremony goes, but I have to admit there is a glimmer of curiosity in me, so I'll keep an eye on it just in case.

As time passed, more and more students arrived at the Cathedral. Most of them being 'background' students, and also spotting a few of the main ones. One may think they are easy to locate, but that wasn't the case. Many students had shared their weird 'natural' hair colors and had modified uniforms. Making it hard for me to spot the main cast.

Ten minutes later everyone had already gathered in their respective groups. I saw Edelgard arrive a few minutes ago alongside Hubert, closely followed by Ferdinand. The rest were already here. I couldn't check the other groups carefully but everyone that I knew was present in mine. Bernadetta being the exception for obvious reasons.

After some time, when there were no more students showing up, the Cathedral's gates were closed, making a, somehow surreal, echo all around when finally it shut, followed by the ringing of the bell. The combination of both sounds startled me. I was busy appreciating the interior architecture and windows' design. For some reason, I didn't take much notice of it yesterday. It looks like many of the Cathedrals back on Earth or at least I think so, except for the whole otherworldly religion thingy, there is barely a difference.

Switching my gaze towards the front, which was a little complicated given how far back in the group I was, I was able to see a few of the church authorities standing close to the altar. I assume they were part of the church since I could recognize a few. Alois and Catherine were standing to the right alongside other knights. To the left was Hanneman and Manuela plus a few others, more faculty members perhaps?

I can't recognize half the people standing there, should I be worried?

Before I could dwell deeper into my worries, Seteth showed up.

Thank God I decided to stay on the back, I don't want to meet him eye-to-eye again. Recalling our 'meeting' in the dining hall still gives me an uneasy feeling I rather not recall.

He was walking towards the middle of the group in front of the students, or the altar to be more precise. More importantly, next to him was an important church figure I had expected to see at some point.

I'm not sure if it was because I was focused on avoiding being seen by Seteth or perhaps due to my lack of attention to detail, but it took me a while to realize Rhea was walking right next to him.

Whatever chit chat or rustles were going on among the students, came to an abrupt stop as soon as those two where in sight. The pressure Rhea emanited was something you could almost touch. I might've been the only one who felt it that way, hard to tell if it was the same for everyone else. Whatever the case, I wouldn't call it a pure intimidating pressure, more like an aura that demanded discipline, in a gentle sort of way? It's hard to put it into words. It just works.

It was easy to tell Rhea would be the one to open the ceremony, a no brainer really. Yet somehow I had forgotten about it. There is just so much to take in, I tend to forget obvious situations like this one. I need to get my shit together before it gets me killed.

"Students," she started with after reaching the altar, in the middle of all the Church authorities, "I welcome all of you to a new school year in the Officer Academy. It makes me glad to see so many kind souls so eager to learn under the everlasting vigilance of the goddess." Her speech carried a noticeable happy tone to it. "May her teachings guide you during your stay in the Monastery."

I stopped paying attention after that. Not to be rude, but I never was the religious type. Yes, I can and will respect it but there is only so much I can stand before losing interest in the subject.

"Now, let us pray to the Goddess for a safe prosperous year, out of harm's way," Rhea announced while putting her hand on a praying position.

If only you knew.

Everyone followed her example. Praying to the Goddess varies from person to person. In this case, Rhea was the one praying out loud while the rest of us waited with our heads slanted and our hands in a praying position, and listened to her prayer.

There was a small choir sang by a group of nuns after we finished praying. While I may not be the religious type. The choir was beautiful. I always adored that kind of music, many voices in a simultaneous performance. It also had a certain eerie feel to it, even more so now that I'm in a real fantasy world. What was considered impossible for earth standards is real here, god knows what else I've yet to discover.

Once the choir finished its song, Seteth spoke. "Now we shall proceed with handing out of the house's capes." Taking a quick glance at the three groups of students in front, he then added, "House leader's please come forward."

I had almost forgotten Seteth was here with us. He hadn't done any talking till now. Which made me ask myself were Flayn was, I hadn't seen her at all. Perhaps she is not attending or she's out of my line of sight.

By cape, I imagine he was referring to that mantle each house leader wears over one of their shoulders, with a color according to their house's coat of arms. I never gave the origin of it a second thought. The more you know.

The first to approach was Edelgard. That was my chance to get a good look at her, I didn't have the opportunity earlier. She looked just like in I remembered her. The length of her hair, reaching all the way to her waist, and it's rare whitish-silver hair color, and of course her outfit. I have yet to see anyone rock those red leggings like the way she does.

I suppose she does look… kind of attractive. Was she always that small though?

Putting those pointless thoughts aside. It's hard to believe that a girl like that would start a war bound to scar the continent forever. Everyone knows she'll be the empress someday, but at first glance, you can't tell she'll be the one to wage a war against the rest of Fodlan or start it for that matter.

Once in front, Rhea handed the cape to her, they exchanged a few words that I couldn't hear due to the distance. Probably nothing of importance, their faces didn't reveal many emotions when speaking anyway.

The same process was applied for Dimitri and Claude. Compared to Edelgard, Dimitri showed the same grace in his walk, if not more. You could even argue they had some sort of competition to see how did it better. Then there was Claude who did the whole thing as careless as I expected.

So those are the house leaders. It's not that my expectations weren't met, but seeing them in the flesh in the same place as I gave a different feeling. Granted I'd already been in Fodlan for a while, so the impact of seeing them for the first time wasn't as breathtaking as it would've been a few years ago. Needless to say, there is a certain air of intimidation coming from them. Probably one only I can perceive, I know what all of what they're capable of and what they might do in the future, especially Dimitri. I'll try to stay on his good side, just to be safe.

After the capes were delivered to their new owners, the ceremony was pretty much over. A few words more words from Rhea and the ceremony was officially concluded. There were no rounds of applause, just the sound of people leaving the Cathedral. Although that didn't apply for us, the students.

As soon as Rhea was done with her welcome speech, Seteth took the opportunity to share some indications with us. "To all students, please attend to your assigned classrooms. Soon a faculty member will join you and explain this year's curriculum alongside other matters of importance. That would be all for today." After his announcement, he left with the archbishop, Flayn following not far behind.

And with that said, the students started the walk to the classrooms. Given the fact that all of us were going to the same place, the way there was packed. I decided to remain at the back of the group to avoid unnecessary discomfort. I never really was fond of crowds, I'll stay behind even if than means arriving last. I'm not in a hurry.

The three groups of students that were neatly apart during the ceremony were now all mixed together, stopping me from telling who was my classmate and who wasn't, not that I know or recognize any them anyway. At first, I could see the three leaders walking together, but soon lost sight of them as they went ahead and I remained behind. I'll get my time to watch them closer later. I have plenty of it.

With the few exceptions of spotting a few 'canon' students I hadn't seen before like Dorothea or Dedue, not sure how I missed the guy since he is probably the tallest student around, the walk to the classrooms was monotonous.

* * *

I hadn't seen the inside of the classrooms before. When I did my small tour yesterday the classrooms were closed for obvious reasons. Now that I have seen them for the first time I must say they look rather cozy.

The place looked much like in the game, but more detailed and slightly bigger. Three fancy chandeliers hanging from the ceiling illuminated most of the room. There was also a chimney in the middle right side of the class. Both produced enough natural light for the entire place. If that wasn't enough, there was a huge, and I mean huge, window behind the teacher's desk which allowed some natural light to fill in. Aside from those, there were plenty of desks aligned in two columns, each desk being able to hold three or maybe four students.

Which begged the question, how many students did the class had? I, for once, hadn't even thought about it.

Luckily for me, I wasn't among the last students arriving to class. I managed to pick up the pace before arriving in the classroom just so I could get a good seat. What was a good seat? Well, I wanted one not too close to the front and at the same time not too far in the back. Somewhere in the middle rows, that just how I like it.

And if I'm far from Hubert, that's a plus.

I took a quick seat on one of the available desks. There was no one next to me yet and if I were to have someone, it wouldn't be anyone I knew. I already saw the main students in their seats. As expected, Edelgard was in the front row, with Hubert by her side and Ferdinand on the same row but different column, ready to compete against her I assume? Caspar was sitting in front of me, Dorothea in front of him, Petra was on a different column and Lindhart was (unsurprisingly) taking a nap all the way in the back. And of course, Bernie was missing, avoiding her first day of class sounds like something she would do.

While distracted by my surroundings I failed to notice a girl sitting in the empty chair next to me. I didn't even see her coming, at this point and time I'm starting to believe I've got a talent for getting easily distracted.

Like almost every other noble girl I've met, she was gorgeous, by Earth standards, she was a solid 9/10 if not more albeit by Fódlan standards it was common for a noble girl to be that good-looking. She had a bright orange-colored hair, all arranged in one long braid that reached all the way to her waist. For what little glimpse I saw of her, she didn't have any jewelry on herself, uncommon but not unheard of for a noble.

Whatever the case, if these are going to be our places for the rest of the year I suppose I'll get to know her at some point, at least her name. Not that I really care, but it happens when you sit next to someone in class. Unless you dislike each other, one is bound to make small talk every now and then. Although I would still like to keep some degree of detachment from my classmates.

After everyone had taken seats, a professor arrived. To my surprise, if was Hanneman the one in front of the class and not Manuela as I had expected.

Well, not like it really makes a difference.

He walked from the door all the way to the front. There was no hurry in his step, he was calm and relaxed for what I could tell. Maybe eager to start the new academic year. So many new students for him to teach. Does he enjoy his time as a teacher? I know next to zero about his classes, the game never really gave much info about it. He loves his Crest research, that's the only thing I know for certain.

Once he was sure he had the attention of every student in the class he spoke. "Good day students, allow me to welcome you all to your first day of classes in the Officers Academy," he announced. There a few seconds of silence while he exchanged looks with some of the students (not me luckily). "My name is Hanneman von Essar, but you may call me Professor Hanneman or simply Professor, it doesn't really concern me as long as we maintain a degree of respect between each other." Some of the students nodded to that.

"I'm sure most of you are eager to begin the lectures, but before we start I must inform you of how the system in the academy works," he said, before starting a really long speech about the teaching system.

This is going to take some time, isn't it?

As he was talking, he was taking some notes in the chalkboard, enumerating each topic he considered important.

"...and after two weeks each class will have a permanent professor that will stay with them for the rest of the year…"

Wait, that actually sounds interesting.

"...the first two weeks are for us, the professors, to assess your skills, your strengths and weaknesses. Once each professor is permanently assigned, we'll work on these skills in a more focused manner."

I assume he is talking about what were the proficiencies in-game of each student, translated to a more realistic setting. If that's the case then it makes sense for the professor to tackle those skills. Byleth did the same thing.

"...That's most of what you need to know for now. Everything else will be known with time, so don't concern yourself with it." He finished, leaving the chalk on top of his desk. Casting his sight to the chalkboard, admiring all of what he had written in it.

Quite a long list of topics he wrote, but there is some of them I found interesting. For example, the so-called monthly missions, which vary from class to class, are for the most part real combat exercises, with a few exceptions. As expected, we have no mission in the first month, aside from the mock battle at the end of it.

By that time Byleth will be a teacher here, I wonder which house will he choose.

Which reminds me, Hanneman also mentioned another teacher working at the Academy. I think his name was Oskar. He's the teacher Byleth replaced, although he was never mentioned. I wonder what type of person he is.

"Now," he said, putting both hands on top of his desk and staring directly at the class, "I know this might sound a little childish, and probably unnecessary since some of you might already know each other, but I would like for each one of you to make a little introduction. Nothing complicated, just your name and expectations will suffice, but you're free to share more about yourself as long as it doesn't take up much time."

You have to be kidding me...

I let out a small groan at the idea of introducing myself next to a bunch of strangers, most of them being a bunch of poshy and pompous nobles; not the best kind of people out there. I should know by now to not judge a book by its cover but what can I say. Old habits die hard.

Starting with Edelgard, one by one the students gave a small introduction of themselves. It was good to finally put a name to all the 'new' faces I didn't know from the game. Still, it'll take me some time to remember them anyway. One of the few joys of the whole introduction situation was to hear Ferdinand saying his classic line, that and also the girl next to me is named Sirris. So there is that.

Without much delay, my turn finally came which was right after Sirris's. Most students only brought up their names and expectations from the Academy, so I suppose I'll stick to that.

Let's get this over with…

I stood in front, trying to fixate my gaze on something to avoid looking at anyone's faces, but it was hard, very hard. "Greetings," I said, making a small bow, "My name is Alfonse Matías Navarro, heir to House Navarro. My expectations are focused on improving my sword skills and learn how to properly manage troops in battle. Aside from that I am willing to learn all that I can, I want to be ready for the future, whatever it may hold for me."

Perhaps that last part was a little too much, but it's already done. I went with it as much as I could.

Before setting down there were a few milliseconds of silence. In that time I could feel the sights of everyone burning on me, how they judged me, just for mentioning a few words. I already fell into a category in their heads, am I considered an important person, someone to ignore, someone to look up to? All these thoughts flashed through my mind faster than my ability to process them.

I know I shouldn't care yet I do.

What stopped me from continuing my rampage of thoughts was the introduction of the next student. I'm clearly getting paranoid out some bullshity self-introduction. The fuck am I going to do with myself?

With the introductions over, Hanneman proceeded to what I believe was next on the agenda.

"It's good to hear from yourselves the expectations you have of the academy, I'll be sure to keep them in mind when talking about future classes with my colleagues," he said, stopping for a second to look at a clipboard he had on his desk, "But it seems we are missing one student…Well no matter, I'm sure she had her reasons for missing."

Bernie's reasons are questionable but whatever…

Hanneman picked whatever papers he had brought with him and walked towards the door. "Now students if you may, I'd like to start sorting your strengths and weaknesses as soon as possible. There is a mock battle coming up and we, as professors, are expected to be fully prepared for it," he said, raising his voice the closer he got to the door, probably to emphasize how important it was. "Come now, follow me to the training grounds."

With that said, the whole class adeptly followed Hanneman to the training grounds, to do god knows what. Hopefully not any weird crest experiment, although I'm sure we will get to that at some point.

I decided to stay at the back of the group again to enjoy some peace and quiet, the less people there are, the less of a chance to engage in a conversation. Introducing myself was somehow stressful enough.

"So you're the heir to House Navarro. I believe we haven't been properly introduced." I heard a very familiar voice coming from behind.

Well, there goes my peace and quiet.

* * *

**So here is the second chapter, I must say I took me more time than expected. Yes, I'm aware I mentioned the second chapter will be due in three weeks but well, stuff happened I'm sorry for the delay. I'll try to avoid.**

**Not much happened in this chapter, I'm aware the pace can be rather slow but this chapter, alongside the first one, is supposed to be introductory chapters, so yeah, it's intended to be that way. I did manage to write a fight scene, sort of, I hope you liked it. **

**I would also like to take this chance to make a little shoutout to my friend Cavik96 and his fic Entrapped, it follows the same premise as mine, a SI in Fodlan. It's a pretty good fic, so give it a check if you have the time. _He also updates more regularly than I._**

**Here is the link to the discord if you desire to give me some... personal feedback. I might even give you a sneak peek if asked nicely ;)**

**Discord: /9XG3U7a**


	3. The Officer's Academy

**11th day of the Great Tree Moon**

There is a wide variety of activities the game never tells you about how they're done in the Academy. Most of them are left up to the player's interpretation, training is a good example. Normally everything is done with just selecting a few options and voila.

However, as one should expect, the reality is completely different.

"Hurry it up, students! The sun is setting and I know you don't want to miss dinner. At least I don't want to."

The origin of that irritating voice came from professor Oskar. The one that Byleth replaces when arriving at the Monastery. I knew he replaced someone but the game never really gave much importance to his existence. It barely mentions him at all.

"This has to be some sort of torture…" I managed to spout after finally completing my 20th lap. My knees couldn't hold it any longer and stopped fighting gravity. The rest of my body soon followed with my face hitting the ground before anything else. I was so tired I didn't even care.

It may look like I'm overreacting, but no, that's not the case. My pain's origin— and most of my classmates' could be identified in a few words.

Heavy Armor Training or Endurance Test. Whichever sounds fancier.

At first, I didn't think much about it. I thought maybe they'll test our strength through weights or perhaps will do some sort of drill. Turns out it was the latter. Professor Oskar took us to the training grounds, which I found to be an odd place for a drill. I was expecting for us to go outside of the monastery grounds for it, I know other classes had done so in the past few days. Imagine our surprise when arriving at the training grounds only to see a mountain of plate armor stockpiled in a corner. It didn't take more than a second for me to understand the situation.

We were going to be wearing that during the whole drill. Joy.

Amidst groans and subtle complaints, we changed into plate armor.

Amongst the boys, there were not many protests. Most of them came from Lindhart and a few others whose names I had yet to memorize. I mean, of course, the activity didn't sound pleasant at all, but I still held had a certain degree of interest. I was expecting a part of the class to share the same feelings.

The past tests had been interesting so far. Although I can safely say I don't enjoy practicing magic. Not sure if it's a matter of talent or skills, but I'm terrible at it, and that's an understatement. I can barely hold a spark for more than 2 seconds. I am among the worst when it comes to black magic in class.

At least I was more confident in my stamina, so the Endurance Test was not a worry for me. Yet I was exactly happy about the activity.

Of course, some others were rather thrilled about it. Mainly Ferdinand.

I expected him to be like that. He had the same attitude on previous tests and couldn't stop babbling about how he had to prove himself better than Edelgard and how it was our noble duty to excel in every possible test.

It was fun at first but it got boring really quickly.

Speaking of Ferdinand, he approached me a few times. In fact, aside from Petra, he was the first to approach me. I knew I was bound to draw some curious individuals, I had prepared myself for it. Ferdinand was the first. He didn't ask anything I felt uncomfortable answering. The conversation was short and to the point. He wanted to know about me.

He was surprised that Count Navarro has an heir. It was known between the noble houses of the Empire that his only son had died some time ago. Naturally, introducing myself as the new heir was going to turn some heads in class. I was adopted, but they can not know that. It would be troublesome. Although I get the feeling I'll keep getting more questions regarding the same topic for some time.

I didn't know how the girls felt about the test. I hadn't directed a single word to any of them (aside from Petra) since classes started. I have no reason to. That and the fact that I'm not good with women. Especially the noble ones, they can be… well, terrifying. I'll leave it there.

Although when we all met on the training grounds, it was not hard to spot their reluctance towards the test.

Yes, I understand it is necessary, but exercising in a 30 to 35 kg plate armor is perhaps a little too much.

I remember seeing Edelgard talking to the professor about the training method. She was voicing the complaints of some of the students as well.

The professor didn't really care about it. Not even when coming from Edelgard herself. He ditched those comments and answered with a simple 'This is the way I do it.' It was loud and clear with some air of arrogance to it.

Even as the future Empress, she was still a student. She had no power in his decision. Although she was clearly annoyed in the tone professor Oskar answered.

He is not very polite for a professor. Good to know he won't be staying with us for long.

And so the training started, we all had to complete all of it for us to proceed to the next step. Some were good at it, others not so much and others had no stamina whatsoever. I was somewhere in the middle.

Now here we are, running twenty laps around the training grounds to finish it all.

I was able to drag my exhausted body to one of the corners of the training grounds. It was already afternoon but the sun was still shining bright. I was in dire need of a shadow to rest under.

Once there I slowly started taking the armor off. Those laps were the last of it, or so the professor said. It wouldn't surprise me if he decided to make us do something else just for the giggles.

_How did I even get myself into this?_

"Forget about lunch, I'll take a shower and go to bed. I am done for the day." I said to myself in between gasps.

Wait. I am on Greenhouse duty today, am I not?

Fuck.

I frowned, letting out a few moans of pure annoyance.

No. I committed to this whole Academy thingy. I'll see this through. I have to, even if it is a huge pain in the ass.

My inner grievances aside, I could notice someone walking towards me.

It was Ferdinand. It was only polite to acknowledge his presence with a formal greeting.

"Ferdinand," I exclaim while looking at the barely-standing and face full of sweat that was Ferdinand. "I trust you are doing well."

A little joke to lighten up the mood, why not?

"Alfonse. Yes, I am holding myself in good spirits. Albeit I don't think I can say the same about you," he said with an unchanged look on his face while staring at the poor excuse of a body resting next to a pillar that was me.

That joke sure backfired.

"Um, well I suppose you are correct. I-I am not used to this kind of activity" I replied.

"It certainly seems that way. You are looking paler than usual." He approached and took a seat next to me. Doing so in a more _gracious_ manner compared to how I dropped myself on the floor like an old ragdoll. "Regardless of it all, I have to admit, Professor Oskar may have set the bar too high for the class. Sure, it is no problem for a noble such as I. Alas, I can not express the same for our classmates." he voiced with both pride and concern.

_I imagine that includes me. No need to hide it Ferdinand. I am well aware_

"Some of the girls seem to be having a little bit of a hard time compared to us" I added.

It's true. Wearing plate armor is not something you see women usually carry on the battlefield (according to professor Oskar). I'm not saying it can not happen, because it does, but it is more common to see men being the ones doing so.

Edelgard is one of the exceptions of course, she finished the 20 laps before everyone, even counting the boys, she hides some strength in that body of hers, would it be thanks to her crest? Maybe, maybe not. Aside from Edelgard, few girls were able to finish the drill in time set by the professor, not that the boys were doing any better.

Sirris, the girl that sits next to me in class, did pretty well actually, finishing a few minutes before I did and she was visibly less tired than I. Some of the girls like Dorothea and Bernadetta were suffering the most.

Poor Bernadetta, first day coming to class and she has to deal with this. How unlucky can one be?

"I wouldn't be sure about that. The male side of the class had their equal amount of hardships during the test" he countered, while subtly giving a look at Lindhart whose body had given up a while ago, and to his side Caspar carrying him.

_Out of sympathy or to make it more challenging for himself? Beats me._

"You seem used to this Ferdinand. Do you have any previous experience in this sort of training?" I asked in an effort to avoid uncomfortable silence. Those are quite common for me.r

"I wouldn't say I have undertaken the same type of training as this before, but this is not my first time wearing plate armor. As the heir of House Aegir it is my solemn duty to be prepared for all manner of trials, so I devoted myself to train in heavy armor whenever I had the opportunity," Ferdinand said vigorously. As expected of him. Can't go two seconds without mentioning something noble related.

"Is that so..?"

Spoiler alert: I am not good at keeping conversations flowing.

"It is indeed. We are of noble upbringing and need to excel in our everyday life. I assume your family has the same values. I remember your brother bore a perfect noble comportment, he was a great example of what nobles should aim to be."

You mean the brother I never met, I suppose so. I've heard much of him but never really met him but I can't say that out loud now can I?

"You are ri—"

My words were abruptly interrupted by professor Oskar's loud and unappealing dry voice.

"Very well students," he started on a condescending tone while looking at the lot of us that were nearby. "I must admit, you did not meet my expectations. I had hoped the very best Fodlan had to offer would be more capable than this. It was a mere test, and the results are for the most part negative. I certainly hope the lot of you focus on increasing your durability. You will need it if you expect to make it through my classes." he lectured to his heart's content.

_You are going to make yourself hated by the students._

Not that it concerns me in the slightest.

After all, was said and done, Edelgard approached. "Professor, with all due respect. You can't fully expect everyone to stand out when they barely know how to properly equip the armor. Clearly this harshness is uncalled for and I—"

She was interrupted half-way through her critique by the professor raising his hand with clear intentions to shut her up. Not very polite, taking in consideration she is the future Empress. I bet Hubert must be _delighted._

I took a quick look at Hubert out of curiosity and well...if looks could kill, the professor would have been underground by now.

I'm not sure if he is brave by taking shit from no one or just completely oblivious to the potential threat. That's a thought for later.

"I am taking no excuses 'Lady' Edelgard" he stated, with a slightly mocking tone on the word Lady.

_This guy wants to die._

"My test was straightforward and easy to complete. I didn't take into consideration the bad shape my students were in. Still not something to blame me for." He protested, with one of his hands rubbing his chin while the other one rested on his hip, holding a clipboard.

Out of all the professors and instructors, he was the odd one. Even Manuela with her skimpy outfits and questionable personality felt more in place.

Professor Oskar was a man in his late 30s or early 40s. He stood at an average height when compared to most students. If I had to come up with a number, his height probably was between 170 to 175 cm. His hair was combed to the side in such a way to hide his receding hairline. The passage of time had not been kind to him, his wrinkles, while few, were easy to spot in his cheeks and brows whenever he frowned, which was often.

"Although I suppose some congratulations are in place, given that all of you completed the test. Even if it was way out of the established time," he said, giving special emphasis to the last sentence.

He gave us one final stare before dismissing us. We left the armor in the same corner we found it. He made two poor souls carry all of it back to storage though, I pity them.

On my way out I heard someone call out to me.

"Alfonse, before you leave I have an invitation to you."

"An invitation, to what exactly?" I asked Ferdinand. I don't consider myself the most interesting fellow. That invitation spiked my curiosity.

"I and some other classmates are planning a small gathering later today. I thought you might be interested, I do not see you interacting much in class, you probably are not well acquainted with them. This would be a perfect opportunity."

_Mhm. Do I want to attend a noble get-together? No, I do not think so. I will politely decline._

Before I could answer Ferdinand added. "We will have exquisite tea brewed by yours truly, and some of the girls invited are bringing high-quality pastries. I already reserved the small patio behind the dining hall for it." He is clearly looking forward to it.

_Pastries? You have my interest Ferdinand._

One of the most advantageous things I find to be part of a noble family is the food I get to eat. Especially the sweets and cakes. I'm a sucker for it, I'm not going to lie.

I can let him know that though.

"It is true I am not well known to my classmates and my attitude isn't helping." Although there is a reason for my 'shyness'. Nonetheless, the invitation sounds endearing so you can count on my attendance. I am looking forward to what kind of tea you will be bringing."

"Excellent! The gathering is set for tomorrow at 4 pm and worry not about the tea. It's quality is unparalleled, I assure you." He said before faring me goodbye and being on his way.

Ferdinand is quite the charismatic fellow. Sure his idea of nobility and what it represents might come off as annoying when repeated so much, but that is just part of his charm I suppose.

Now, I better hurry to the showers before it gets full. I would hate to make a line and arrive late for lunch. I'd heard they are serving a special Kingdom Stew today and I don't plan on missing it.

* * *

After a well-needed lunch (with seconds included) and a quick visit to my room. I was on my merry way to the greenhouse.

It wasn't too far from the dorms. A couple of minutes is all it takes to get there. With most classes over, it was at this time of the day where one could appreciate how the students spent their free time. Training, fishing or simply strolling around just to name a few.

If one gets bored, the town is always available if you want to look for something different. I have yet to properly visit the town, I'll certainly do it on a free day. I think we get those on Sunday.

There are also the unlucky ones like me that get chosen for a certain chore or activity. It was clearly stated that chores are different from group tasks. Group tasks are related to the class and normally have 2 to 3 people assigned to it. Chores, on the other hand, are assigned by Monastery personnel and can have as many people as necessary, regardless of the class they belonged to.

You could say it's a good way to meet people from other classes.

Before I knew it, I had already reached the greenhouse. I hadn't had the time or interest to check it more closely since my arrival. It is clearly different from how I remember it in the game.

For starters, it's size was immense when compared to the in-game one. At the very least ten times bigger. Which actually, makes a lot more sense. The greenhouse I remember was so little it almost seemed like a joke, I am sure I remember bigger ones back on Earth.

The game stated that the greenhouse held plants from all over Fódlan and even from other continents. I couldn't really buy that idea when the greenhouse was barely bigger than a room.

This was more fitting.

_I wonder how it looks from the inside._

Only one way to find out.

The doors seemed heavy but only in appearance. I managed to open them with ease.

Once inside. I was amazed.

I am not sure who was the one with the idea of placing the bigger plants in the entrance but I'll give them credit. It creates, without a doubt, a very good first impression.

_The greenhouse from the game can't hold a candle to this._

I seriously mean it.

It seems the side of the greenhouse close to the main door was the one that held all the plants from tropical regions. How could I tell? Well, for one the rise in temperature didn't go unnoticed. Also, the second thing to point was how the plants looked so out of place when compared to the ones I've seen so far in Fódlan.

I think I remember something related, from back on Earth. Memories perhaps? Yes, it was probably that. Memories of plants from tropical regions. The ones in front fitted that criteria.

The plants were not organized in any specific order for what I could see. They were just splattered all round the available ground. Although the more I walked, the more of a pattern I could see.

Special plants like flowers and weeds were indeed organized in a more accurate manner. Granted, depending on the species of plant it was, its number varied. Plants seemed to be the ones with higher numbers. They occupied such little space that it was no issue to keep many of them around. The same could be said about weeds or spices but I'm not good at identifying those. I can not tell them apart. That goes to show my familiarity with the topic. Close to zero.

I also noticed how the ceiling's windows were arranged in a special way. A great number of rectangle-shaped windows covered most of the ceiling except for the center of it. The glass in there formed a small shaped dome, with its border bending to the rest of the greenhouse's flat ceiling.

Why does it have that shape? No clue.

I made my way towards the middle of the greenhouse, trying to find the lady in charge. I assume it is a woman, it was in the game but I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't the case.

It didn't take me long before I stumble upon her.

"Um. Excuse me? I'm here for —"

"Yes, how can I help you? We are having a busy day, so make it quick," she answered abruptly.

"As I was saying I was —"

"You are one of the students assigned to the greenhouse this week? You are late."

"Sorry about that, I had to—"

"Follow me, I'll assign a task for you and I can go about my day." She made a quick turn to the right and started walking.

_Jeez, lady. How about you take a chill pill?_

I followed her to a nearby fountain, where she handed me a watering can. Then she proceeded to show me which plants I needed to water and which ones I did not. Apparently some plants hailed from dry zones so they didn't require to be hydrated as often.

My knowledge in the matter is limited so most of this is new to me. I'd assume you just water the plants every two or three times a week and that about it.

Also, she specifically told not to touch any vegetables, fruit or the like. Those are saved for cooking and...experiments? Wait, did she actually say that?

Whatever the case, my job remains the same.

After making sure I knew what I was doing she left me by myself.

I'm going to take my sweet time. I have no hurry to be somewhere else or do anything in particular. Aside from dinner, my day is pretty much free. Plus the atmosphere here is pleasant.

It somehow evokes a familiar feeling. I think something similar back on Earth. Yes, not a greenhouse though, a garden perhaps. Full of flowers, something like that. But the feeling is there.

It's sad how my memories of Earth seem so distorted and distant, yet the ones from the game remain almost intact.

Thinking about Earth sure brings conflictive feelings to the table. Nice timing. I always wanted to try crying while watering the plants. That's a whole new experience in my book.

No, let's not. Let's not think about my past life right now. It doesn't help.

It never does.

Speaking of help. Why am I alone doing this? Shouldn't there be other students in here as well? I thought chores were assigned to more than one student. This is going to take me some serious time if that's not the case.

My thoughts started coming up with reasons for it while I was working. I am not mad, just confused and maybe annoyed. It takes more than that to make me lose my temper.

Minutes passed and I stopped caring.

"Perhaps the greenhouse doesn't need much help after all," I said, trying to convince myself.

Then, as if the universe was waiting for me to say those words, someone showed up from behind me.

"Just because you do not see anyone around does not mean you are the only one assigned to it. " a female voice clarified.

I turned around to face the owner of said voice.

I found myself staring at a shorter than average girl, with white hair and a pair of striking pink eyes.

"Lysithea!?" I faked surprise. "Fancy meeting you here. I-I had no idea you were a student here," I lied. Of course I knew that, but I can't let her know.

Lysithea walked towards the fountain, leaving the watering can next to it. "Likewise. I was not aware you enrolled in the Academy, Alfonse. Well, it's not like we talked much last time anyway." she replied.

It is true. Lysithea is the only student I already knew before coming to the Academy.

My adoptive father's territory is close to the Alliance, so he tries to keep good relationships with the adjacent Houses in it. Ordelia is one of them.

There once was a meeting he had to attend. I think it was business-related, by that time I was already under his care, had been for a few months. He decided to take me with him to learn the ins and outs of dealing with other Houses, important ones specifically.

The meeting was held in Ordelia Territory. I met some 'important' people over there. Back then I didn't grasp as well as I do now the importance of certain titles and roles within the nobility. Add to that my difficulty to interact with others and you have a socially misfit noble.

There was where I met Lysithea. We exchanged a few words. Nothing too interesting I wasn't much for words and neither was she at the time.

"I was informed about it less than a month before classes began. There was not much I could do about it. Now here I am." That wasn't entirely a lie. It was informed to me quite late but I didn't argue against it.

I mean come on. I knew it was coming.

"Oh, is that so? Your father had quite the interest in your future from what I was told. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you are here."

"I guess…So how are the classes treating you, tough are they not?" I asked rather suddenly. I try to avoid talking about my adoptive family. It is a rather complicated topic for me. "I am still acclimating to it all."

"They are just fine. Why would they not be? If you are having difficulties then that is something you need to work on yourself," she chided. "Now that I am done with my duties here I need to be going, I have important stuff to be doing rather than spending my time with vegetables."

"Vegetables…?"

"Yes, the vegetables in here. What else could it be?"

_For a second I thought she was talking about me._

With that said, Lysithea passed next to me on her wait out. That was when an idea hit me.

"Wait, Lysithea!"

Stopping after hearing my words, Lysithea turned around to face me. With an expecting look.

"Um. Well, you see. I have been invited to a…gathering of sorts. A meeting to get to know other students. Have you heard of it?"

She only shook her head. I could see her patience was running out and I don't feel like getting blasted.

So I continued. "Well, I accepted to go but I think I would feel more comfortable if there was a familiar face there with me. Aside from a few classmates that is."

"I am surprised. What made you think I have the time for such nonsense, I wonder. Here I thought you knew better," she answered coldly. "Last I want to do with my time is spend it with nobles that like nothing else more than flaunting their own status ."

_As sharp-tongued as ever, I see._

"There will be cake," I added.

"..."

Seconds of silence. Her eyes brightened.

It was small, but you could see the shift in her expression when I mentioned cakes. Good thing I remembered she loved those. A weakness of sorts.

"Th-that still doesn't give me a reason to attend," she said. I could almost sense the interest in her voice. "Where is it anyway?"

"Tomorrow in the patio behind the dining hall, a few hours after lunch."

"I see, I will keep it in mind in case I decide to…see how things are going," she said indecisively, before turning around and leaving the place.

"See how things are going?"

No, too late. She is already gone.

Truth is, I know that everyone attending is a noble. Some of them are not the 'good' kind of noble. Plus, I am bound to be bored as hell. I only accepted out of sympathy for Ferdinand and cake.

Can't forget the cake.

Well, I won't count on Lysithea attending, I got trapped into this myself. I will see how to deal with it.

Better finish with the plants first though. I don't want that lady coming back and smacking me in the head for taking my sweet time. She seems like one to do that.

* * *

**12th day of the Great Tree Moon**

Dull.

By my standards of course, but dull nonetheless.

The meeting was interesting for some, but not me. Just as I feared, it was a bunch of nobles talking about uninteresting topics like politics, territories, proper comportment, the common folk, etc.

Although they did touch the subject of economics a little bit. I think it was one of the only topics where I listened and participated. My interest was nonexistent for the rest.

Something worth noting is that it was mostly males. It wouldn't be out place to call it a sausage party if it wasn't for the 3 girls that attended. They didn't stay for long though.

Lysithea did show up, but only for the cake. She ate it and left, that was it. Was I surprised? Not really, considering her personality. She does not like this sort of thing. If it wasn't for the cake, she wouldn't have even shown up.

I followed her example and left when I got the chance. I excused myself with some last-minute made up excuse about some stuff I forgot to do. They believe it.

I stayed in my room for a while, but with nothing to do in there but reading. I decided to take a little stroll outside to kill some time before dinner.

Classes aren't too complex _yet. _Professors are taking notes of the abilities of the students in the first week, that's taking all of their time. But the true classes are likely to start next week for sure. I heard we are learning battle strategies and the like. Sounds interesting.

"Things will only get more interesting once Byleth shows up…" I pondered to myself out loud.

I was sitting on a bench in front of the dorms, basking in the remaining sunlight of the afternoon. I had both arms and legs spread, the bench was big enough and I was sitting alone so I took the chance. There was hardly any student walking around, for what I could see. It is this time of the day when the Monastery is at its quietest. Just an hour or two before it gets dark.

I probably wasn't sitting in a 'decent' way for a noble. But who gives a shit. This is my time off. They can't tell me what to do.

I can only keep appearances for so long.

And no, I can't relax under the sunlight inside my room. Hence why I am out here.

I need this. The meeting from a few hours ago left me mentally exhausted.

"Had a rough day Alfonse? You seem tired."

At this, my body tensed up. Not because of the question itself, but the one asking it.

I quickly regained my composure and stood up, facing her.

Given who she was. My anxiety was about to reach a whole new level.

"L-Lady Ed-Edelgard! Forgive me I-I was just relaxing a little bit." I answered with a few stutters. Her presence makes me so nervous. There is a reason I have avoided talking to her so far.

_Jesus, where did she come from?_

She gracefully shook her head. "There is no need to apologize, though there is also no need for such honorifics. I am just another student, no different than anyone else," she declared.

"O-of course. It's just that, well you are the future Empress. It only seemed appropriate."

"That may be, but it is nevertheless my desire to be treated as an equal to my classmates. Surely, you understand."

"Yes, I do. I am sorry…Edelgard." I reply reluctantly. Talking to her is hard enough, let alone calling her by her name. She intimidates me for a variety of reasons, I can't be blamed for that.

She kept her eyes on me after my answer. Oh, that's right. She asked me a question.

"And yes. You could say I had a…complicated day. I decided to spend the rest of it outside. Just relaxing for once."

"I am sorry to hear that, but it is good to know you are taking some time off and on a good time. I was looking for you."

Oh no.

"Looking for me? Why? Is this because of the magic 'test' we had a few days ago? I didn't mean to hit anyone, I swear. My magic skills are poor, to say the least. I am aware—"

"No need to be defensive," she interrupted me, "I am not here to reprehend you, we are here to learn after all. I just wanted to talk to you."

Now that is odd. I wouldn't consider myself an important person in the class, even my family's position in the Empire. Navarro's territory is rather small.

"Talk? I can do that. Why is it though? I do not consider myself the most talkative person in the class or the most interesting for that matter."

"I want to get to know everyone in our class. I noticed I never had the chance to talk to you, albeit I was hesitant about it. You seem to have your reasons to keep yourself away from everyone," she concluded. She was quite on point.

I do avoid interacting unless I have to. The meeting from a few hours ago was just me attending out of politeness, nothing else. Maybe the cake too but that is about it.

I momentarily put my gaze down, this is the first time someone pointed out my 'shyness'. "It is true I tend to keep myself away from others but that does not mean I am not willing to interact. What do you want to talk about Edelgard? I will try to maintain the conversation interesting," I responded, this time with more conviction in my voice.

Edelgard let out a small giggle, it was as if she had won something. " I am glad you are willing to talk but worry not, I only have inquiries about you." She paused for a brief moment, perhaps expecting an interruption. There was none so she carried on. "I assume you are aware of your situation."

_I think I know where this is going._

"An heir no one has ever heard about? I am aware," I acknowledged with a simple nod. "You are not the first and most likely not the last to ask about it. I understand my origins are…puzzling, in a way. I will do my best to explain if that is what you are looking for."

"I am not demanding anything. You are in your right to deny my curiosity if you desire. I do not want to pry into personal matters," she assured. She doesn't want to force me but her curiosity about the subject is clear. Better to answer it myself than have her — or Hubert — digging around about it on their own.

"No. I have no issues with it. I can tell you about it," I affirmed. "Although you might want to take a seat for this," I pointed where I was sitting minutes ago, "this might take a while."

For my sanity's sake. I have had to come up with different stories in different periods of my life. Most of them to save myself out of rather complicated, sometimes dangerous, situations.

For that reason, I divided my past in two 'truths'.

The first one is the story about the past I'm about to tell Edelgard. How I was the second son of a minor noble from the Empire whose elder brother disappeared a few years ago. Thanks to that, my supposed 'father' thinking his remaining heir was in danger as well. So he chose to erase every last trail of my existence so that I will remain safe. Fast-forward a few years and he decides enough time has passed for me to make my existence known again.

Of course, that 'truth' is utter bullshit.

That is the history I am using for people who are curious about my past. One me and my adoptive father came up with. The only issue is focusing on the details to make it believable. Lying about a childhood or brother I never had is difficult.

Then there is the other 'truth', the real one. The one where I showed up out of nowhere in a city I had never seen before in my life. The one where I had to beg and rob to survive. The one where I came from a world whose existence is unknown in this land.

No one knows this. Only me.

My adoptive father and his family knew about my past on the streets. Hence why they decided to hide it. To avoid any possible political complication that comes along with adopting a street criminal.

There is no reason for anyone to know that. I'll take it to the grave with me if I have to.

I told Edelgard the fake truth.

Will she believe it? Well, she has to.

If I am a normal classmate to her, she has no reason to distrust me. Plus I think I've gotten pretty good at retelling it. The facade of confidence while telling must give more credibility.

I could see Edelgard was slightly baffled by the whole thing, not that I blame her. Erasing the existence of one's son is quite a harsh measure. Calling it harsh might even be an understatement. But that is the story I have to stick to.

After approximately four or five minutes of me talking about a made-up past. Edelgard spoke up.

"I never thought Count Navarro would be capable of going to such lengths. He gave the impression of such an upstanding person when I met him. This reveal is nothing short of a surprise," she said perplexed.

"Please La- Edelgard, do not think ill of him. He had his reasons and I agreed to them. He only wanted to protect me," I said. I like to believe he would have actually done it if he had had a second son. Alas, that was not the case.

"You have your mind made up about this topic, I will not pry into it any further. Regardless, I'm thankful you shared it with me," she said with a small smile on her face. "Thanks for trusting in me."

"It is not a problem, I am glad I got to quell any doubts you had about me."

For a second Edelgard's eyes lost their focus on me and were set on something else or someone. I didn't turn my head to see what I was but I was glad she did. I am not good at keeping eye contact. Any distraction is appreciated.

Backing her gaze at me, she said, "Yes you did Alfonse, I apologize for taking part of your time with it." She stood up, facing the direction where she was looking before. The path towards the pond and greenhouse.

"Now I must be going," she continued, "I was on my way to meet someone."

"What? Did you not say you were looking for me?" I asked.

"I was on my way to the stables. Finding you was also on the things I planned on doing. I saw you on the way there and took the chance," she assured me.

Edelgard is always busy, so I'm hardly surprised by her answer. I'm actually relieved she was not specifically looking for me.

"Oh, I suppose that makes sense," I affirmed, "In that case…I suppose I will be seeing you tomorrow."

"As with any other day of class. Goodbye Alfonse, and have a good night," she bid me farewell and started walking towards the dining hall.

I let out the biggest sight known to Fodlan after she left.

Hopefully I will get used to interacting with her. Otherwise, my student life is going to get even harder.

On the other hand, I can not believe I talked so casually to her. She is so intimidating, yet approachable. Hard to believe she is the kind of person to start a war.

_What am I thinking? I barely know her._

No, I don't want to think about that right now.

Let's just continue with my previous activity.

I sat on the bench, spreading both my arms and legs.

"Rest and relaxation."

If only for a few more minutes.

I have very little daylight left after all.

* * *

**16th day of the Great Tree Moon**

Classes just started and they are already hitting my brain as hard as they possibly can.

I do not mind any physical exercise. Although professor Oskar likes testing both our skill and patience in such brutish ways. It is the classes that require me to be sitting at a desk 100% of the time, those are hard for me. It wouldn't blame my attention span. It is the actual difficulty behind those classes.

Battle strategies and magic. Both subjects are the biggest pain in the ass I've encountered so far.

That is enough of an excuse for me to visit the library for the first time.

I avoided this place like the plague for one obvious reason. Tomas or Solon, whatever his name is. His presence gives me the creeps and for good reason. He is a member of that ancient underground civilization with an annoyingly long name. Although I don't think they ever called themselves like that.

The worst part is that I fear every single movement, facial expression, reaction or word that I might accidentally spit will make him suspicious of me.

I am kind of paranoid when it comes to him. It is going to get worse once Monica arrives, I am sure. I can already tell. Those days will be hell on Earth.

_I will just get my book and leave. Simple as that._

Since I hadn't visited the library before, everything there was new to me. Enormous shelves covered the 4 walls of the library. To reach the ones at the very top you had to use a ladder to reach some sort of second floor in the form of an inner balcony. I know it has a proper name but it doesn't come to mind right now. For the rest of the library, the bookshelves have a regular size, forming 3 columns. There are also a few tables in spread among the room, for the ones interested in remaining inside.

_No way 'Tomas' is the only person working in this library on a daily basis._

If it wasn't for Tomas, I would consider the ambiance comfortable, even cozy and would not mind staying there, reading on a cold winter night. Sadly, that luxury won't be occurring anytime soon.

It did not take me long after entering the library to find the book I was looking for. The place was neatly organized with the books ordered in such a way that even a person as oblivious as me could find it with ease.

'The Proper Direction' by Federico Jacobson.

With the book in my hand, I went towards the counter. As much as I would like to just ignore it. I can not leave the place with the book just like that. It will create more problems for me in the long run. I will do it the normal way, I will face Solon.

"Alright…" I muttered to myself, a few meters away from the counter where Solon was. "Let's get this over with."

My hands were sweating a little, but just a little. As long as the sweat is not on my face he will hardly think anything is out of place.

I walked towards the counter, there he was. Sitting behind it, minding his own business. It was a slow day, he seemed to be working on something. It could be the library's inventory, a plot against the church, maybe sudoku. No fucking way for me to know.

"Um. Excuse me…I would like to take this book with me please, Do you have to sign it or—" We made eye contact and I automatically froze.

Funny thing is, he seemed to freeze as well. Was it because he saw the sheer terror in my eyes? Maybe, maybe not.

Being afraid of creepy old men can be considered normal. I hope.

"I mean. Uh, what is the procedure to take this book out of the library." I asked, my voice trembling, legs shaking and palms sweating.

He was still looking at me. Like if I had grown a pair of heads to complement my lack of neurons for not knowing how to ask a simple question.

_Kill me now._

"Oh, Sorry young man. I was... lost in thought," he chuckled, "You want to take that book with you? I only need to stamp it and to sign your name." he said pointing to a paper he had on his desk, with all the calm in the world.

If it wasn't for the fact that I know his identity. I would take him for someone's grandpa. Maybe the real Tomas was like that.

"Right." I placed the book on top of the counter. "My name is Alfonse Navarro." I said in one go. Less stuttering means less time here.

He wrote my name on a piece of paper he had nearby. It didn't take more than five seconds, thank God.

"Navarro," he mumbled after putting his quill feather back into the ink. He was facing the paper on his desk so I couldn't see his expression.

He caught me raising an eyebrow at it. When he faced me again, he still had the same smile as before. "You heard that? I was reminiscing about my visit to the Navarro territory, back when I was a youngster. Those were good times." he said calmly, his sight lost for a second when he mentioned it. He has some good acting skills, I'll give him that.

I let out a mental sigh.

He is showing me a weak side of him. I bet he does that with all of the students. He has to keep the appearance of a meager old librarian that can't walk without a cane. It makes sense.

I was not in the mood to talk so my answer was sharp. "Yes, it is a lovely place to visit during the summer." It is, I was there.

Perhaps he sensed that I was in a hurry to leave. He only nodded to my words and stamped the book. "Here you go, this book is a classic. Be sure to read chapter 3 thoroughly, they always use that one for tests."

Friendly advice? I will take it I suppose.

"Thank you, I will keep it in mind," I said. "Thank you."

I grabbed the book and left.

While on my way out. I could not shake the feeling that he was staring at me all the way until I was out of his sight. I dared not look back in fear of being right. In fear of meeting his eyes.

Perhaps it was imagination, perhaps it was not.

I rather not find out.

* * *

**Would you look at that? I manage to post another chapter in less than a month. Well yeah, by one day, but it still counts.**

**Like the last chapter, there is not much going here aside from a few interactions. Although I did drop some serious and not so serious hints if you managed to spot them.**

**It took me some time to write some of these dialogues. I am still not fully comfortable with a few lines but that probably is me being paranoid. As usual.**

**I would like to give a big thanks to my editor therealwisewolf. He has been a HUGE help for the editing process as well as clearing some of my doubts. This chapter (and the ones to come) are only possible thanks to his help. I'd also like to thanks my buddies at the Treehouse for giving me advice on the dialogue.**

**Speaking of Treehouse, would you want to join? ****I'll leave the discord link here in case you are interested. **

**discord .gg/9XG3U7a**


	4. Flying 101

**19th of the Great Tree Moon**

Only two weeks into the semester and I'm already feeling the pain from it, physically and mentally. I'm unsure if this is because of the upcoming mock battle at the end of the month or if this is just how tough the Academy is supposed to be.

Now that the first weeks have passed, the professors have more or less a clear grasp of everyone's strengths and weaknesses, goals, and experience. The second week started with the training being focused on the areas the professors thought important. In the case of magic users (or the ones specializing in black magic), they had more pressure put on their spellcasting and the distance before hitting their target.

Luckily for me, that was not the case. I was considered a _very_ low priority student when it came to magic training. I was aware of that fact and didn't argue it, I know my ability in magic is almost nonexistent. The reason for it is up for interpretation.

According to professors and instructors, my focus should be on swords and lances, I already am somewhat capable with swords. The time I had spent in Fodlan previous to my enrollment had taught me how to properly wield one to the point where I can at least defend myself to an effective degree. What surprised me was what they said about lances, my experience with them was lacking compared to the sword. I rarely had the opportunity to use them; in fact, the only time I wielded one was back at the manor when I was undergoing training with the guards.

I was told it would serve as a base for mounted combat. Of course, ground and mounted combat are two different things. Regardless, they probably know better than I did on such topics, so I'll follow whatever they tell me to do.

Normal classes aside, there also are seminars. We're two weeks into classes so I'm not exactly sure how often they tend to happen, I was told it was only held during the weekends. In fact, I was able to sign up for one I considered interesting.

Flying lessons.

Or an introduction to flying. I'm still not certain if it's considered a seminar as it's shared with other classes, but the topic itself remains interesting regardless.

Flying sounds so wondrous and is normally a classic featured in many fantasy stories. The thought of soaring through the skies on the back of a trusty companion to the neverending horizon is endearing and somewhat too poetic to be considered realistic, but that's how I picture it.

To add even more fuel to my excitement, ever since I showed up in Fodlan, flying creatures were the ones that managed to leave me awestruck every time I saw one. Wyverns and pegasus to be precise, I'm unsure if there is more. To my knowledge, there are no other flying creatures aside from those two but I could be wrong, Fodlán is big, and that's not including the surrounding countries, I know so little of it all. I'll try to do some research on it sometime.

I noticed how my legs were slightly shaking, not in an evident way but enough for me to pick it up. Something similar to a goosebump ran through my spine every 4 seconds or so. To add to that, the sweat, coming from both my palms was barely noticeable, but it was there.

_I'm nervous as hell alright._

Unfortunately, it's too late to change my mind. I'm already on my way with a few of my classmates.

We left for the stables together after meeting in class for a brief time. My feelings right now are a mixture of excitement and anxiety. I like it and I'm afraid of it, I suppose it's a normal feeling when you are trying something new that is also somewhat risky. Or maybe not, but I can tell I'm not the only one feeling like this amongst our group.

Less than 10 of us were encouraged to take the class, there were few familiar faces among the group. Although at this point, I'm getting to know the rest of the students, regardless of their importance. Everyone is becoming a familiar face.

"Don't you guys think you're overreacting? Come on, it'll be exciting!" said an enthusiastic Caspar, once he realized the mood was getting a little too heavy.

"I'm looking forward to it but…isn't it normal to be anxious as well? I have never gotten close to a wyvern before, let alone fly one. Don't you feel the same, Caspar?"

That would be Theodore.

I haven't interacted with the guy in the past. I only know he has good skills with the bow and is the third son of a noble family, as for his physical appearance. He is quite average. Short blonde hair, average height, and no crest.

At first, I thought every noble in the Academy had a crest; but after spying on one or two conversations, I realized that was not always the case.

"Not at all. I'm feeling confident about it, I know it will be easy. It doesn't look so hard for what I have seen," Caspar replied.

"I commend your enthusiasm Caspar, but it would be ill-advised not to keep a degree of carefulness. Learning to ride and control a wyvern is no easy feat, What you see from the ground does not truly demonstrate the skill required for it," Ferdinand added.

Yes, Ferdinand is with us. He seems to enjoy participating in every activity. I'm uncertain if it's actual enjoyment or just an opportunity to get an edge on Edelgard, maybe both.

"I agree with Ferdinand, you shouldn't be deceived by how simple it looks. Nothing is that simple," remarked Theodore.

Caspar gave a thoughtful hum after hearing both answers. "You guys think so? Whatever, I still don't think I have to worry much about it. The instructors are there after all, surely everything will be fine." He turned his head to the left, laying his eyes on one of his quiet classmates. "What do you think, Alfonse?" Yeah, it was me.

I rarely joined in on conversations. It's not that I consider myself socially awkward or an introvert, even if sometimes it's hard for me to keep a conversation going. I keep a policy of no-involvement unless I really have to.

Although in the last two weeks, it has become hard to keep that policy. My classmates are oddly friendly...most of them at least.

"Huh?" Of course, it caught me by surprise. "I don't know Caspar. Regardless of the safety measures, I am nervous too," I managed to answer.

Before he could answer, Ferdinand intervened "If you do not mind my opinion, I do not think it is a matter of anxiousness or overconfidence. None of those two provide the right mindset, you need to find a middle ground. Look at me for example, I am not scared, but I still know the activity will be a challenging, more for some than for others," he said proudly

I envy Ferdinand's dexterity with words. I'm leagues behind him when it comes to it.

"Hearing you say that makes me feel a little better, Ferdinand," Theodore reassured, mostly to himself.

"I still think you guys are overreacting," Caspar said in a relaxed tone, both hands behind his neck with his fingers intertwined. He kept walking without a care in the world.

My only reaction was a thoughtful hum, getting too worked up about it isn't going to help, true. But that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to feel unease over it. I have very little control over that.

I envy the girls in this case. If they want to, they get the chance to ride a pegasus. I've heard rumors (probably not reliable ones) on how they are more tameable and easy to handle than wyverns. Which comes as no surprise, their appearance suggests so. And to be honest, I've always preferred them over wyverns. Plus, if they are anything like horses, then I'm sure I can handle them better.

In the months prior to my enrollment I had the chance to learn a bit of horse riding, it was one of the many activities scheduled for me by my adoptive father. At first, like any other, I was reluctant to do it. But after a few unsuccessful tries, I found the enjoyment in it. I even asked if it was possible for me to have more time on it.

Navarro's territory was located between the end of a mountain range on one side and vast open fields on the other. In fact; its location is to the northeast of Gronder Field, not too far away from it.

I took advantage of the chance as much as possible. Unfortunately, I had many other obligations that took up a great part of my time so I couldn't dedicate as much time to it as I would've liked.

With some luck, I'll be able to take more time to learn and master horse-riding during my stay in the Monastery. Perhaps, once we get assigned our professor for the rest of the year, I can convince him to let me do so. It would be nice to do something I like for once. Before shit hits the fan of course.

_I'm sure I'm allowed a little self-indulgence from time to time._

Our little group kept up the chitchat for a while. There was nothing else to do while we were on our way there after all. We only halted our walk when we finally reached the stables.

"Why are we in the stables?" Asked one of the girls whose name I've yet to learn. "I don't think the wyverns share the stables with horses or do they?" She said with a pinch of sass in her voice.

"I have to agree with Sarika. You said you knew where it was located, Ferdinand." Theodore added.

_Another name to remember._

None of us had actually been there before. That includes me, when I toured around the Monastery by myself, it completely went past me where the wyverns were held. It just didn't cross my mind at the time.

And so we blindly followed Ferdinand, he had proven himself reliable in the past. We had little reason to doubt him.

I don't think it's a big deal. We can always ask one of the knights or clerics to get around.

"Everyone, calm down. Both the pegasus stable and wyvern pen are located on the outskirts of the Monastery. The shortest way to get there is from the inside through a passage close to the stables. Makes sense, does it not? Having both stables close to one another." Ferdinand answered, keeping his cool. "Now, it is this way."

With Ferdinand at the head of the group, we passed through an opened gate located in front of the stables.

It wasn't particularly hidden or hard to spot, but I don't remember seeing it there last time I was here. Although I wouldn't be surprised if I missed it. It was a plain black grid gate. Nothing flashy about it whatsoever.

"This is the way," Ferdinand announced while pointing at a sign that said 'Wyvern Pens'

The door to a wide and rather sketchy alley, surrounded by tall walls at both sides, it didn't have a single trace of sunlight shining in it. Combine that with the fact that aside from us there was only a single soul traversing, and you get a weird, uncanny atmosphere. This is one of those places you don't want to visit once the sun is gone.

Regardless of the unsettling ambiance, Ferdinand led the way and we sheepishly followed.

The alley was supposed to take us into a wall-less area of the Monastery where the flying creatures were held. I never really thought about it, but it should've been obvious that taking care of a pegasus is a completely different task from your average horse, that includes location. I imagine the main reason for it to be outside of the walls is to have more 'freedom' when taking off and landing, that's my guess for now.

It didn't take more than 5 minutes for us to reach the end of it, reaching an open area with a perfect view of the nearby mountains, and uncomfortably dangerous to the cliff leading to what I imagine is a few thousand feets drop. How charming.

Regardless of it all, everyone's eyes were glued to the naked sky and it's peculiar inhabitants, myself included.

_Wyverns_.

We arrived just in time to see the monastery's wyverns arriving from their midday flight, with what I believe were the Knights of Seiros on their backs.

Their destination was the wyvern pens, and for what I could see, it was located on the extreme left side of the open area we were currently in. A huge three-floored building (maybe four) by the looks of it, with the base and first floor made of the same type of brick most structures Garreg Mach had, and the upper floors made of wood for the most part.

It didn't take much to figure out where we had to go next, our little group followed the cobblestone path leading the pens, with less idle chatter on the way there than before. Was it due to excitement or the dreadful realization that it was soon going to be us in the sky riding those things? Either way, I appreciate the calm while it lasts.

Before arriving at the gate our group separated, most of the girls split off and headed towards the pegasus stables further down the road, leaving us guys behind with one or two who decided to stay.

_I'm not surprised, pegasus are more appealing anyways, it's understandable._

Both seminars for pegasus and wyvern were held on the same day, they probably wanted them to pick between one of the two.

At the entrance were two knights chatting and minding their own business but came to a hold once they saw our group approach.

"You kids are here for the flying lessons, yes?" asked the taller of the two.

I can tell noble kids don't like being called 'kids'. It can be taken as a sign (or reminder) that their age plays a part, regardless of their status, and that hurts their pride.

Ferdinand was slightly taken aback by this, but his reply didn't flinch a second.

"Precisely, we are scheduled for a seminar today. This is the place, correct?"

The knight looked at him, and our group, from top to bottom, and I could swear I saw one of them smirk for a fraction of a second before replying.

"Yes, this is the place, but you might be a tad early. I don't think your "instructors" are here yet," he said while giving the other knight a questioning look, he shrugged.

The way he gave emphasis to the word instructors made me raise an eyebrow, but I'll ignore that for now.

"I suppose you can wait for them inside," he continued. "Just don't touch anything till they get there, got it? They shouldn't take long."

"You have nothing to worry about, we Black Eagles are a diligent ensemble," he assured.

The knight only nodded and continued minding his own business, the same as the other.

Ferdinand passed through the oversized wooden door first, and we followed behind him just as we had been doing on the way here.

The inside was not what I expected at all. Although If I'm being honest, I didn't have all that many expectations to begin with.

First of all, since this was the wyverns pens I expected to see...well wyverns, but to my surprise, there was not a single one in sight. This was rather odd since I could hear them before entering the building, even now I can still hear faint growls and hisses from above. They probably keep them in the uppers floors, I suppose that makes sense? I'm unsure.

_Then what is the first floor for?_

For what I could see, the room we came into seemed like a sort of hall. It made sense, it was the room you first come into after getting to the stables, so no questions there. Although it was rather messy, and it smelled like old wood, straw, and rusted iron. Weird combination.

There was little furniture aside from two benches, a couple of chairs, and desks. The rest was storage equipment, for the most part, chests and barrels. The walls, however, had equipment hanging from them. Saddles, chains, and belts plus other materials I couldn't really tell what exactly were.

Our group got in and after waiting awkwardly for a minute and a half, decided to sit on the available benches. There were a few of the knights (and a squire) in there, but they didn't pay any attention to us. I assume they knew why we were here. The place was big enough for us not to interrupt or bother anyone, so we just sat there waiting.

"So what now?" asked Caspar.

"Now we wait, there is not much else we can do," answered Ferdinand.

At that exact moment, one of the doors from the left opened, which in itself was nothing new, for the few minutes we had been in there people came in and out from the adjacent rooms. However, what made it different this time was the guy that came out of this one was looking directly at us and didn't hesitate to talk either.

"You lot are a little early, the session is not going to start without the others, and my partner has yet to arrive. Name's Gael, I'm one of your instructors for today's lesson," he said with an authoritative tone to it. "Allow me to take a guess, you are probably the Black Eagle students, an overachieving bunch you are. Last year and the year before it, they arrived early."

"As expected of our predecessors," Ferdinand injected, "Arriving early was the correct decision after all."

The instructor seemed to mutter, no, grumble something to himself even if his face retained no sign of annoyance at Ferdinand's words. "Yes, yes, as expected, all right, since you got here early and are very eager to begin, why don't you go change into the appropriate gear while we wait for the rest."

The words "appropriate gear" echoed within some members of our group, seemed like many didn't think about that. Not me though, I was sure we weren't flying in our school uniform, that much was obvious.

"Of course, a layer of leather will prevent you from freezing out there. You thought you were going out like that." I knew it. "You wouldn't even last a minute," he laughed. Now get on your way to the dressing rooms, take the second door to my right and keep going straight, it will lead you to one of our storerooms where we keep our equipment. There's plenty of sizes so pick yours and be quick about it, for some reason you kids always take more time than you should in there."

Without much else to do, we followed directions towards the storage room. Hopefully, it wouldn't be much of a hassle to put the gear on.

* * *

In the end, it turned to be quite the pain in the ass to put on.

At first, it seemed easy, but adjusting the belts was the worst, plus it didn't help that there were so many of them to begin with.

As the guy said, it was leather gear, aside from small components like the belt's buckle. The leather itself wasn't too thick, but you could still feel the weight behind it, especially when wearing the whole thing together. The ensemble was composed of three (or four) main parts: The torso, shoulder pads, and the pants which for some reason were divided in two. Yeah, it was all a mess, add to that a variety of belts and sizes and have a clusterfuck that took a while to figure out. Made me think wyvern riders were into bondage or some sort of fetish.

As soon as our class was done changing (the only two girls in our group were surprisingly fast for some reason), the other two classes arrived in the dressing room, accompanied by the instructor. Most likely to make things go faster, seeing how we took a while doing so.

In the meantime, we waited in the hall, but this time there was another instructor waiting for us there. A young pink-haired woman, in her late twenties maybe, hard to tell. She seemed to be in a good mood, with a small but noticeable smile on her face.

"Ah! You must the Black Eagle class, I was informed you were here early, come with me to the second floor, we will wait for Gael and the rest up there," she said, indicating us to follow her through one of the many doors in the hall.

_Okay here we go, my regrets may show up later but whatever, I'm already here._

As I had suspected, the wyverns live in the upper floors. The sound of screeches and roars only grew stronger as we went up the stairs, not only that but I began to catch a different smell. It wasn't a strong one, but a peculiar one at that, kinda like charcoal and raw fish combined, plus a pinch of aged oak if that makes any sense. That's as accurate as I can put it.

Didn't take long to reach the second floor, the door was already opened once we got there.

Then we finally saw them, the wyverns in all their glory, and a lot of them. The place was full of them, I could count at least 30 within my field of vision, and holy shit were they bigger than expected.

I wasn't the only one that let out a gasp at the sight, a few others didn't make an effort to hide their impression. Granted there were others who didn't seem shocked like the rest of us, probably because they had been in similar places before, nobles kids have many luxuries after all.

Our instructor stopped walking as soon as she took a few steps in, turning around to gaze at our faces it seemed. Seeing how some of us had an astonished look on our face, she didn't say a word but had the bright smile of a proud mother.

"Impressive aren't they, but you'll have to wait to admire their beauty later, we have to wait for Gael and the rest on the other side of the floor," she announced, "I'm sure you are more than eager to start the class, aren't you?"

I'm curious for sure but I wouldn't call it eagerness. The others maybe, we'll see.

On our way to said location, I was able to give a better look at the whole place, plus the wyverns. It was quite similar to a normal stable, each wyvern had its own 'room' which was separated by sturdy-looking wooden walls and slidable doors with iron bars. The few things that made it different from a normal stable was the size of it all, the ceiling was higher than what you would normally expect for obvious reasons. There is also the smell which I mentioned before, which surprises me because I expected for it to smell like shit, like all the stables I've had the _pleasure_ to visit.

The aspect of the stable that stood out the most, however, was an enormous door in the middle left side of the floor. If it wasn't for the shape it had, I'd assume the wall was being repaired or something like that, but no, it was a defined rectangle. Reaching almost to the ceiling in height, and five times wider than your average door.

If I had to guess, that's probably the entrance and exit for the wyverns, it makes total sense.

Speaking of wyverns, they were hanging in their rooms, some of them staring at us, and others minding their own business. It wasn't a normal stare anyway, they knew we were strangers in here, perhaps they were aiming for some sort of intimidation technique, it was starting to give me the shivers.

_If I get nervous with these things, God forbid I ever face one of those demonic beasts._

Menacing stares aside, most of the wyvern shared similar features: Brownish scales which ranged from a lighter to darker town, bright yellow eyes, an intimidating wingspan and antlers. I had forgotten the wyverns in this world had antlers, so far every wyvern present had a pair. I'm unsure if it's only a male feature, can't really distinguish between male and female here.

There were also people attending some of the wyverns, knights I presume. They gave us a few unsurprised, quick looks before focusing back on their tasks. It does make me wonder if we, the students, we'll send here as part of our weekly chores. I don't remember that from the game, but it's still a possibility.

Working with giant reptiles sounds slightly beyond my pay rate.

Walking from one side of the building to another didn't take all that much time, even taking its massive size into consideration. We arrived at the room soon enough and waited for around five to ten minutes before Gael, the previous instructor, and the students from the Golden Deer and Blue Lion houses showed up.

I expected to see, perhaps, a few familiar faces from those houses like Claude or Ingrid. If memory serves right, I think those two were good options for wyvern rider, I'm sure there were many others too but I have a hard time recalling gameplay-related information for some reason.

Eyeing them from top to bottom I stumble with the surprise that none of the Lords were present, no Claude or Dimitri. Claude's absence was especially surprising to me, but to add fuel to the fire, I couldn't spot a single canon student in there but one.

Her orange hair and attire were hard to miss among the (mostly) noble kids from the Golden Deer.

Leonie was the only recognizable face in that bunch. I didn't see that coming at all.

I had little time to be caught in subtle awe since our instructors positioned themselves in front. Gael made a rather strong noise with his throat to get our attention.

"Okay everyone listen up!" He started with, to ensure he had everyone's attention, "First all, welcome to the seminar on Flying with Scales," he laughed, "I, Gael, alongside the beautiful Ella, will be your instructors today. We have both lived and trained with wyverns since a very young age and have more experience than anyone else in this stable, you're in good hands. That I assure you. " He was received by a few unenthusiastic claps by two or three students.

The look on his face was completely different from the one he had minutes ago, he seemed refreshed now, with a grin on his face. It raised a few red flags for me, but hopefully, it's just my imagination.

"Thank you, thank you," he said proudly, raising both hands to shoulder length trying to stop the only 3 souls clapping at him. "I know you're all very excited about today's activity, and it is a favorite of mine too. Young fliers taking their first leap is always a joy to behold."

_Nevermind the grin, he seems like a nice guy after all._

"So does that mean we will really get to fly today?" Asked a student, he was from the Blue Lions I think. There was no clear way for me to distinguish them.

"Well yes, that is the idea, although…" he stopped, and began counting us with his fingers, hastily whispering each number.

There was no need to fill a list prior to attending the seminar so it makes sense that they didn't have an accurate idea of how many would attend.

He hummed once done counting, "We have more than expected, nevertheless, we'll try to get as many of you as possible, so no need to worry about details."

"We always have some that decided not to partake in the flying activity," added Ellia

"Oh, that's correct. Every year we have a few who chicken out, we'll use that as an advantage to get the ones who really want to be in the air, and we will force the rest later," he said.

_Force?_

"Gael…"

"Right right, sorry, I was only joking, heh. We won't force anyone here, not much at least," he said with the grin still on his face. "But before we can get to any of the good stuff, we must get the boring stuff out of the way. That means any basic knowledge you need to know when you're up in the air or about the wyverns themselves."

Ellia only remained standing next to him with a wholesome smile on her face, not a wicked one like his. She was only watching us.

"Let's start with something easy, any of you know why we made you wear all that leather? Anyone?"

As expected Ferdinand answered first, "It is to keep our body protected from the air currents. Strong winds can easily-"

"Yes, yes, exactly that," Gael interrupted, "Up there the temperature decreases dramatically thanks to the wind speed which heavily depends upon the flying speed. Of course, you could fly without it, but both the speed and height should be quite low compared to average to make it withstandable."

"Is there special plate armor for flying?" Asked a random student.

"Not really, there isn't much of a difference from normal armor, just a layer of leather beneath and more of it covering some spots normal armor wouldn't have. You have to wear the leather even if wearing heavy plate armor, that itself won't protect you from the wind as much. So yeah, leather is important, don't underestimate it."

"There are also different types, between light to heavy. Each of them for different occasions and tastes too," Ella added.

"Mhm, you guys are wearing the standard one which is good for most situations, but as you noticed, it can take some time to put on, especially for beginners. One normally gets used to it after the fifth time or so."

He turned around and walked toward one of the many chests in the room. There were many of those around, drawers, and barrels, plus a few benches here and there. It made the place feel a little jammed.

He walked back to us after taking one huge thing from the same chest. It took me a few seconds to figure out what exactly it was.

He dropped said object on top of a nearby wooden chair, covering almost the entirety of it.

"Do you guys know what this is," he pointed at the object laying on the chair.

It was leather-made for sure, and it had the shape of an object I'm familiar with but I wasn't sure.

"Looks like a saddle" answered someone.

"That is correct," he affirmed, "While the size might make you think twice, this is the type of saddle we usually use on our wyverns here in Garreg Mach. Saddles come in many shapes and forms but this model has been a reliable one so far, so we stuck with it."

Giving the thing another look, I could see the shape more clearly. All the straps and belts had made it look like it was some sort of shell made out of leather, rather than a saddle.

"You probably are wondering, 'Why are all the straps hanging from it?'" He asked as he kneeled to carefully grab some of the hanging straps.

_I am._

"You see," he continued without waiting for anyone to reply, "It might not look like it from below, but wyverns go really fast and I mean really, really fast. To put it bluntly, the straps are there to keep you on the wyvern's back. All of them are meant for the legs, but different models might provide other types of support as well. It all depends on the saddle." He stood up and as he finished his answer.

"Wyvern saddles are complex and time-consuming to craft. Regardless of the model, make sure you're buying quality if you ever decide to acquire one." Ella said, her smile unchanged.

"But you can't do that just yet, now can you?" Gael joined in once again, "You have to try it out first before deciding on it, and that's one of the reasons this seminar exists."

"It serves as an introduction before you ever decide that soaring the skies is an ability you like and think you can develop further."

"A first experience into a world, few get to even grasp."

"A chance to develop a bond with amazing creatures."

At this point, both seemed to be in sync. Maybe they practiced this speech beforehand? I don't know, but they make it sound appealing so no complaints from me.

"And the Church knows this. That is why this seminar is given to students so early into the semester. They want you to leave the Academy with, at the very least, proper knowledge of what it means to be a wyvern rider."

"What you do with that knowledge after you're gone is up to you, but our mission is for you to achieve it."

The students got surprisingly quiet during this, there was not even a whisper coming from us. Their words felt honest, everyone's silence only confirmed it.

"So without further ado..." Gael's tone changed to a more playful one. "We shall get right into it. Time is of the essence after all."

Gael started walking towards the door behind us, but he only took a few steps before a hand landed on his shoulder.

"Aren't you forgetting something, G?" hinted Ella with a tilted head and narrowed eyes.

It took him a few seconds to collect himself before giving a proper answer.

"Ah-ah, how could I have forgotten," he laughed nervously, "Before getting into the real thing we'll quickly go over a wyvern's basic anatomy."

A faint echo of disappointment could be felt among the students, myself included. I got moved thanks to their short speech.

"Trust me, this is useful knowledge, plus we'll be over with it quickly."

* * *

Twenty minutes later we found ourselves on a balcony located on the third floor. Although perhaps calling it a balcony would be a little bit of an understatement, an external platform sounds more fitting.

The third floor was pretty much the same as the last one, but our instructors said our class was to take place there, we were only on the second floor for a briefing meeting.

This time we went through that gigantic door, it had an astounding view of the outside surroundings, mountains, and clouds for the most part but still worth admiring.

The cold and wild winds of central Fodlan hit us like a slap in the face as soon as we stepped outside, into the platform. The breeze pushed us back, like a warning or reminder of what we were getting into. We were deep into the mountains after all, the walls of Garreg Mach can make you forget that sometimes.

In truth, the breeze itself wasn't too strong, but the surprise of many was easy to read on their faces.

I expected it but got taken aback nonetheless.

_How did they even build this thing anyway, or the entirety of the Monastery for that matter?_

Like the rest of the building the platform was made of wood and stone, but mostly wood and it was big, really big. You could easily fit a decent-sized boat there, it was awfully wide.

Waiting for us there were two knights, each of them holding a wyvern on a leash. Which I found funny given how those beasts can easily break free from that in a second.

As soon as we got there, Ella went to talk to the knights holding the wyverns. We didn't get to hear what words they exchanged but they left soon after that. The wyverns remained un-leashed but in their place with Ella next to them.

"Okay class," Gael said with moderately higher volume in his voice, "Allow me to introduce you to two, very special, individuals, and training partners for today's seminar." He pointed with an open palm to the wyvern's next to Ella.

As if the wyverns knew they were being introduced they straightened their posture, raised their chins and completely folded their wings, to look as presentable as possible (for a wyvern).

Both shared the same brownish color as their brethren in the stables, one of them had a lighter tone than the other, but it was barely noticeable. The lighter-toned one was also vaguely smaller and had longer antlers. Aside from that, each had a saddle and reins on.

It seems these two are going to be our _training _partners.

"As you may already have figured out, these _ladies_ — yes, they're girls— will be your flying companions today."

Gael remained silent while the gazes and attention of the students laid in the two reptiles. He didn't seem to bother at all, he probably expected it and gave us time to _admire_ them.

Until he got tired of waiting.

"Ahem," he coughed, "I know they are impressive and all, but please keep your focus on me, there are a couple of things we must go through before beginning and I need your attention for that."

As so the student body focused back on him. One of the wyverns annoyed by her, now gone, attention gave Gael a death stare.

Gael took notice of this behavior and replied "Do not look at me like that! You'll get plenty of attention later and you know it," he scolded her.

The wyvern only huffed at him in response and looked away.

"Yeah, keep the sassy attitude. It'll come and bite you in the ass later and you know it," he sighed, then turned back to us, "Let's start with introductions, and I'm not talking about yours..."

Ella stepped up next to him in the meantime, leaving the wyverns behind her.

"These two are Minerva and Agatha. Minerva was raised by Ella since she was little, and when I say little; I mean right out of the egg, no kidding. There is an interesting story behind it, you can ask her later about it, it's a good one."

Assuming the order in which he named them was related to their current position, then the short one is Minerva, and the other Agatha.

Then Ella continued, "Agatha has been in Gael's care since he was admitted into the knights. She was very young when they first met and Gael has been her caretaker since then. Unlike many other wyvern riders they both created a special bond and have a better relationship than your average rider." she said.

"A special bond? Hah, this lizard has only been…" he grumbled to himself, making it impossible to understand the last part.

Although Agatha appeared to ignore his complaints. She just stood there, eyeing every last one of us. Inspecting us maybe, she is going to be 'helping' us after all.

"Don't mind them, that's how they show their affection," Ella giggled. "Now," she shifted to a more serious tone "I know this seminar serves as an introduction, but sometimes we have people who already have gone through it before. I want those with previous experience to raise their hands."

Only a handful of students raised their hands among our group, Ferdinand being one of them.

"So...three, that's a good number. We will prioritize those without experience, so please those with experience, go to the left side and don't worry, we'll get to you at the end," she said

I didn't catch the other's expression, but Ferdinand didn't mind, he even seemed pleased to be recognized because of it.

"Good, now we can start," Ella announced as she got close to the wyverns, grabbing both their leashes.

She took them closer to us, even more than what they already were. They were only a few feet away from us and I swear I could smell their breath. Not something I intended to experience today.

"My favorite activity begins," Gael chipped in, I almost forgot he was with us. "Let's pick the sacrif- I mean, the volunteers, let's pick the volunteers," he grinned as he inspected us.

"Finally!" gushed Caspar, his 'intensity' is hard to ignore. "I've been waiting for this, I want to go first. Pick me!" He said while pushing some of the students aside, making his way to the front of the group.

To this Gael only laughed, no, cackled would be a more suitable word.

Taking a few steps toward Caspar, he brought a hand on his shoulder "I like you kid, no everyone has that sheer level of enthusiasm, it's a rare gift. But sadly, things don't work like that here."

"What do you mean, didn't you say volunteers?" asked a confused Caspar.

"I did, but you see, we have a process of sorts…call it tradition if you will. When it comes to the first lesson of the year, we let the wyverns pick their riders."

To that Ella only nodded, with her gleaming smile still intact.

"You see, the _ladies _here like to do that, and as senseless as it might sound, I do not make the rules around here. Not those ones at least." He tilted his head exaggeratedly and shrugged, but his grin remained.

The wyvern's intense glare could only be described as menacing. Similar to encountering a creature in the wilds in the middle of the night, and exchanging stares with it for seconds that felt like hours, if not more.

"Give them a few minutes, it usually doesn't take long," Ella added.

Both of them were scanning us from right to left, and I made the stupid mistake of inspecting them while they were at it. I had never seen one from so close so it was only natural human curiosity.

It was then that it happened, our eyes connected.

I immediately brought my head down and stared at the floor. It wasn't out of fear, no, but my reaction was instant regardless. It just didn't feel right to look into the creature's eyes.

Nothing happened while my head was down, the chatter among students continued and both instructors were still silent, most likely waiting for the wyverns to do whatever.

The short sense of panic I felt was gone, and so I raised my head again, she probably wasn't looking at me anymore, perhaps she did that to all students.

Wrong, she was still looking at me, our eyes peered into each other yet again. It was only for a fraction of a second, till I brought my head down yet again.

Well fuck, that can't be good.

_Maybe she'll forget about me if I stay like this for a while. _

I'm unsure if anyone from my class caught a glimpse of me staying absolutely still. If they did, they didn't say a thing.

I wouldn't say I was scared, perhaps a feeling of uneasiness, an extreme. I rather keep my head low than allow her to look into my eyes again.

"Alfonse, are you alright?" asked a voice.

Coming from me right, I raised my head avoiding looking at where the wyvern was standing.

"Yes, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

The guy was Theodore, I didn't recognize his voice outright. I'm still getting used to everyone.

"Um, you looked rather stiff for a moment there. It was weird."

"Ugh, I kind of made eye contact with one of the wyverns." There was no reason to lie to him. "Do me a favor and tell me if she is still looking at me, please." My sight was still planted on my feet after all.

It didn't take him more than a second to reply "It's not looking in this direction, I think you're fine."

Believing his words, I raised my head and gazed at the reptile, indeed it wasn't looking at me anymore, nor any of the students for that matter. Its gaze fell upon the instructors instead.

"What was that all about?" Theodore asked with a tilted head.

"I don't know, the thing just looked straight into my eyes, my body reacted automatically and lowered my head," I replied with honesty. Not like I've any reputation to keep anyway. "Didn't it happen to you?"

"If it did, I probably missed it," he said. "Perhaps it was only an accident, it happens to people all the time, right?"

_It happened twice man, I'm not sure how much of an accident it was._

I didn't get a chance to reply as Gael started speaking loudly, clearly meant for everyone to bring their attention to him.

"Our _chosen ones_ have been decided," he announced. Then turning to his partner he asked, "Ella, could you do the honors?" She only nodded.

Ella walked in a straight line towards the chosen 'candidate'. We were no more than twenty students, it wasn't hard to figure out who she was going to pick out of the bunch.

A non-Black Eagle student got picked first, his face lost some color after being selected. He was told to move to the front, next to the wyverns.

Having picked someone, Ella walked back to her original position, with a spring in her step.

So the victim is chosen, let's see how things go from now on.

I'm low-key glad it wasn't me, I don't tend to be a very good example.

I have every intention of learning how to fly, and experiencing such a feat today is still on my mind but I'm glad I'm not going first. Normally I prefer to have someone else do it, and provide a demonstration of what to do and what not to do.

It also spares me from potentially embarrassing moments.

"You," a voice to my left said, its distance a step away.

Turning around to find it's owner, I stumbled upon Gael standing right in front of me.

"What?" I spat in surprise.

"You have been chosen, come up front."

"But-but you already picked one," I replied

He looked at me with a raised brow, "Of course, but we have two wyverns for a reason genius. Now let's go, we shouldn't keep Agatha waiting, she doesn't like it you know."

_Oh great, I get the sassy one._

Nothing I could say against that. Of course, they would pick two, the fact that I forgot that is stupid enough.

With unsteady steps, I followed behind Gael to the front of the group, where the wyverns and Ella were waiting. I wasn't scared, but I wasn't euphoric about it either.

"Lucky you Alfonse, you get to go first," I heard Caspar say as I left the group. His voice loud, with an unusual tone of jealousy into the mix.

_I'm not sure if lucky is the correct word, Caspar. _

"And so the most exciting part of the day begins!" Gael announced. He then turned to me and the other student, who looked like he wasn't taking the whole thing very well. "Boys, get on the saddles." He pointed towards the wyverns.

Both Agatha and Mineva had already 'kneeled', and the saddle in their backs was in reach.

"We'll help you get the belts on," Ella said, referring to the belts that went around the legs that kept a person from flying away from the mount.

"Yeah, it's a tricky procedure for beginners, so we shall help all of you today. Especially since we're against time, we must get this done before it gets dark. Beginners don't fly in the dark."

I looked over at the crouched Agatha and hesitated, she was looking me in the eye again. That penetrating gaze of her's reached to the core of my very soul, or at least it felt like it.

_Why am I even hesitating? I came here on my own accord, didn't I? I want and I will do this, anxiety be damned._

"Fuck it," I mumbled before making my way onto the wyvern's back. Even when kneeling, the creature still had a decent size, almost three times bigger than a horse.

Once on her back, I placed both legs on the appropriate sides of the saddle. It almost felt like a horse...almost.

I turned to see how the other guy was holding up, only to find him sprawled all over. Causing giggles to come from the group of students and Ella.

Meanwhile, Gael was inspecting the saddle and the belts attached to it, double-checking to verify everything is in order...I hope.

"Everything seems to be in its place," he confirmed before looking at me. "Excited?" He asked with a childish smile.

"I think so," I replied as soon as asked, trying to hide the tension in my speech. My hands moved away from the saddle, and looked at the reins but couldn't see any. "Where are the reins?"

"There are none," he deadpanned.

"Uh? That doesn't make any sense. What am I going to hold on to then?" I didn't even bother to hide the cracks in my voice.

"We don't provide those to newbies." He waved his hand from side to side. "The reins are made to give the mount directions and it is more than clear that you're not in a position to do so," he responded without making eye contact, still checking everything was in order.

"Wait, where am I supposed to grab onto? The saddle?"

He wasn't worried, his eyes or facial expression showed no change at all. "You could grab the saddle, but the belts on your leg should be enough." He grabbed the strap from the buckle and fastened it tight around the upper side of my thigh.

I see no reason to distrust him but my sixth sense is telling me to question everything.

"Could you push your foot further into the stirrup?" He asked as he was buckling the straps, "You don't want your feet hanging up there, do you? The steadier you are, the better."

I moved my foot as ordered, he only nodded in response. I took that and his silence as an 'okay' sign. His concentration was on securing the belts, and he was doing so within mere seconds from one another. It was a lot taking into consideration there were 6 per leg, and handling them was not easy due to their size.

Not anything to be surprised about, he has years of experience after all.

Every belt secured sent a bitter shiver up my spine, one containing excitement mixed with fear. The sensation before going on a roller coaster for the first time would be the most accurate description that comes to mind.

_I had almost forgotten about roller coasters. Funny how the brain works._

"Aaand you're set" Gael set as he adjusted the last belt on my right leg.

"Good, what's next?" I asked, even if the answer was quite obvious.

A smile was his only reply. Nothing else.

He turned to Ella, who had also finished strapping the other guy to his mount.

"Everything good on your side?" He asked Ella with a carefree tone and the grin still on his face.

"Nothing out of place, we're good to go." She said with a thumbs up.

The guy on Minerva's back remained calm, if he was nervous he was doing an amazing job at hiding it.

"Time to start the show then," Gael said to himself. He turned around to face the rest of the students who had been watching in silence the entire time. "Pay close attention, this is how the rest of you will go about too. If you spot any mistakes, be sure not to repeat when you get your turn."

In a way, I suppose me and the other guy are some sort of guinea pigs for the rest. Understandable. I would've done the same.

Taking a few steps back, Gael got behind the wyvern, Ella did the same. Both wyverns turned around shortly after, both focused on them.

When the mount turned, I couldn't help but look at the scenery in front of me. As I was no longer looking in the direction of the stables, but the mountains. All of the focus on the activity itself made me forget where we actually were, even with the breeze being a constant reminder of our height.

_Am I really going to be out there? _

"You can also grab onto the horn, or hug Agatha's nape if you're having a rough time," Gael suggested, probably caused by my short blank stare into the horizon.

"The horns?"

"Not the horns, _the_ horn. Don't even think about grabbing the antlers," he replied right away. "You see that jut in the front part of the saddle," he pointed as I traced my left hand to it, "yes that, grab onto it or the gullet if you feel like needing extra support. Although the straps on your legs should be more than enough and — aside from the leap of faith — the speed will be relatively slow."

Grabbing the horn of the saddle felt weird, the position of my hand on it, and my shoulder was odd. I stuck to the gullet instead, there was room for both of my hands in there, and felt more sturdy than the horn.

Although the sweat on them wasn't making it any easier.

Then my brain picked up on something.

_Hold on a minute, what did he just say?_

"What do you mean by a leap of faith?"

Gael had already taken a few steps away from me, "Nothing to worry about," he replied. "Now listen to me, you'll be in the sky for no longer than 10 minutes. When your time is done Agatha won't drop you here, but in the gardens in the surrounding area. Ella will be waiting for you there."

"O-okay!" I confirmed. "Anything else I should know?" At this point I'm just asking to put a facade of bravery, hopefully, I can trick myself with it.

"Try to have fun."

Before I could even notice, Agatha spread her wings and straightened her back in her current position. She didn't seem to bother, she had a passenger on her back. It was normal for her I suppose.

Aside from the initial shock of feeling the wyvern move abruptly, I had no further trouble. The straps were working as intended.

Agatha took a few steps toward the edge of the platform, I could almost see the drop from my position. Her frontal legs were almost at the edge of it.

"Agatha, _anda_!" I heard Gael yell from the back.

Her wings began to flap and her back arched. The flap of her wings had a slow start but escalated within seconds. She is now only supporting herself on her only two legs, with both wings spread and ready to go.

From the corner of my eye I had a quick glimpse of the other student, he wasn't in the same position as I. So not only did I get chosen, but among the first two, I was the one going first.

"Just my lu-"

My sentence was cut short as I felt a minuscule drop in height, Agatha had bent her hind legs and that could only mean one thing.

_Ah shit, here we go._

Without a moment's hesitation, Agatha cut what little distance remained between us and the ledge, diving headfirst into the cliff.

The leap of faith was exactly what I imagined.

A head dive to the bottom of the cliff.

My adrenaline kicked in in less than a second. The first thing that occurred to me was to hug Agatha by the nape. It didn't matter if the scales scraped my skin, my flight or fly response was activated, and my body reacted on what felt like instinct.

It ended up being the wisest decision.

A gust of wind hit me like a truck, almost pushing me completely off the saddle.

The air pressure of suddenly going at terminal velocity deafened me at first, I could hear nothing but my quick-beating heart and the rush of air past my ears. But just like the rest of my body, my senses caught up to it and I was able to feel everything, and I mean _everything_.

The best way I could describe it, a roller coaster without the initial momentum and little sense of security.

Even with all the belts strapped to my legs, I felt like it wasn't enough. My grip on Agatha only grew tighter. My nails pretty much 'stabbing' her nape as we descended, no —plummeted— our way down.

I had the sensation that my body would twist like a fiddle if I let go, and so I didn't.

The speed was such that even keeping the eyes open was a challenge, I was starting to tear up just by the force of the wind hitting my eyes. Keeping them open was a challenge, but I refused to go into this with my eyes closed.

I managed to catch a glimpse of our _current _destination, and it was getting dangerously close.

The bottom was but a friendly reminder of how tall Garreg Mach really is, being walled in can sometimes make you forget where you really are.

I didn't have it in me to spare a word, not a single word, not even yelp, only mentally scream. My heart beating against the ribcage so hard was probably to blame for that.

_Please level out, this isn't funny anymore!_

And like it was pure magic, or coincidence, maybe both. Agatha's wings shifted and our descent turned from a head-on dive to something akin to a very steep glide. Of course, I couldn't see half of what she was doing, my sight was glued to the bottom.

The violent pressure forcing my soul out of my body was gone, and over time got replaced with a gentler, but still strong, breeze. That was the moment where I could notice the changes.

Agatha's flight became what I like to think it was close to a normal one. In other words, what I expected from the beginning. Now almost fully leveled out, her direction changed to the north, traversing in between cliffs and rocky formations.

The path she followed was wide enough for me not to worry about crashing into anything.

Around this time my heart started to calm down to less alarming levels, ones where I could give myself the time to rationally think and observe my surroundings.

Letting go of my grip in Agatha's was difficult, but I managed to switch my hands from her nape to the saddle as Gael instructed earlier. The sweat in my hands made it complicated, the saddle's leather was slippy when compared to the scales I was hugging a second ago.

I tried testing the straps on my legs, I couldn't move them at all. They were working as expected.

The wind hitting my face with much less violence felt rather nice, especially when you're sure your life is not in danger. A welcomed change.

"This is actually not so bad," I said, even though I could barely hear my own words.

We were still below our original position, I tried looking up and could see some of the light-colored edifications that made up most of Garreg Mach. Where exactly were we? No clue. What I do know is that, at the very least, we were still in the monastery grounds or close to them.

After passing the shoulders of smaller mountains, flying over barely visible streams, and swinging from left to right with the wind, Agatha began a slow ascension. It took time to notice, unlike our crude descent (if you can call it that), this one was smooth and close to peaceful.

It was enjoyable, being able to appreciate the naked sky, sunlight, and pure air from a different perspective. As the instructors mentioned, the first time flying is an experience. Something you'll only get to do once.

First times don't have do-overs after all.

I took the time to observe Agatha as well. This time, however, my focus wasn't on her bright golden eyes, I already had enough of them, but on her flying form.

Her long tail remained stiff for the most part and moved only when switching directions. With a wingspan easily more than 3 times my size, the wings flapped every couple of seconds, even if their movement appeared to be smooth, the strength behind it had power and beauty. It's something only one can value on the rider's seat.

My eyes caught sight of one of the walls that surround the monastery, we were now at the same height of it, but still rising.

Being able to tell where my position is was the last thing I needed to completely relax.

Although I couldn't tell most of the buildings apart from my location, at least I could tell the Cathedral, the pond, and main gates apart. With those in mind, locating the rest wasn't an impossible task anymore.

We looped around the tallest towers, the ones whose tips aimed to grasp the highest of clouds. It was easy to see how close we were to them with the sky as clear as it was.

I took the opportunity and looked down. Oddly enough, I didn't feel any panic whatsoever. Was it because of the 0 to 100 situation I had while descending? Perhaps.

Maybe I'm cut out for this.

At some point during the flight, I had taken my hands off the saddle and were resting in my legs like.

_I want to try something._

I raised both my arms at shoulder length like I was trying to hug the sky.

While vulnerable at first, the feeling was quickly replaced with something else, a sense of pure freedom. Here in the boundless sky were no walls or roads dictated our movement or choices I felt free, unchained from the grasp of the ground. I felt free, but in a way, I had never felt before.

It was an enjoyable emotion.

However, my newfound freedom was cut short, as Agatha started descending, this time normally thank God. I won't miss the sensation of falling at terminal velocity, although my hands automatically attached to the saddle just in case.

I had no clue where she was going, but a few seconds into our descent I could see we were heading back to the wyvern pens. I couldn't see it from above but it became easy to spot a few meters above it.

Agatha wasn't heading there though, she was going to one of the empty fields next to it, with a frail-looking wooden fence on the nearby edge of the cliff.

Waiting for us was Ella, she swung her arms a couple of times, probably to signal Agatha of our location.

With only a few feet above the ground, Agatha's flap of her wings shifted to reduce her speed and allow for an easier landing.

First, her legs came in contact with the ground, not as gentle as she made it look, making me bob on the saddle. She shook her body once on the ground, especially her neck and head, and let out a screech. It didn't sound aggressive, more let like a sigh in human terms...if that makes any sense.

Ella approached us as soon as we landed, and began unstrapping the belts from my legs.

"So, how was it. Fun right?" she asked with a beaming smile.

"Well..." I doubted, " It was an experience for sure."

* * *

The sun was about to set and the Black Eagle class was on its way to the dorm. We waited for everyone to finish the seminar in order to leave together, that was the plan from the beginning. Plus Gael and Ella had some word for us in the end regarding future classes and the like.

It wasn't so bad waiting for everyone to be finished, on the contrary. It was entertaining to see everyone's reaction after the landing.

Most of them took it pretty well, I thought they were going to be more shocked by the whole thing but that wasn't the case.

"That wasn't so bad guys, see I told you it would be fine," Caspar laughed, " You worried too much for nothing."

"The initial descent wasn't a pleasant experience though," said a female student.

"What are you talking about? That was the best part!"

"I have to admit I was caught with the guard down by it," Ferdinand spoke with his usual demeanor, "But overall I would say it was a seminar worth our time. If I had to complain, I would probably point to the lack of professionalism from one of our instructors."

"You mean Gael, I thought he was a cool guy. He seemed to enjoy his job."

"Perhaps, but I don't think enjoying one's position is enough…"

The conversation dragged along for a while and I didn't take much interest in it. I do have a rule of no intervention unless I really have to.

With the night approaching and us nearly in front of the dorms, I heard someone call my name.

"What was that?" I asked.

"Are you coming to professor Oskar's training exercise? You know the one that takes place outside of the Monastery," repeated Caspar.

"Huh, that? No, I didn't sign for it." I replied.

"Really? What about you Theodore?" Caspar asked again.

Theodore wasn't expecting a question directed at him and jerked in surprise. "N-no, I'll pass on it too. The professor's teaching style...is not really to my liking, I'll avoid it if possible."

Caspar nodded, "His methods are different, aren't they? Lindhart said so too."

"I don't think different illustrates it correctly. He has shown in the past to be prone to rude behavior towards the students and his teaching method, while harsh, is questionable and their difficulty over the top. Not that I mind, but most of the students can't take them easily." Ferdinand added.

"So you're not coming either?" Caspar asked

"Of course I am," Ferdinand replied instantly, "Edelgard signed up to the class, as well as the other house leaders. I need to prove myself better than her, I can't let a chance slip by."

"You're really stubborn about that, aren't you?"

With the conversation no longer needing my interference, I went back to my inner thoughts.

This class they're talking about, that is the event leading to Byleth's appearance is it not?

The day I dreaded for is almost upon us.

I've been preparing for this for a long time now, and I will act accordingly to keep myself alive, but that will depend heavily on Byleth's decision.

Whichever directions Byleth chooses, will impact the continent in more ways than he can ever imagine.

_What will it be Byleth, who will you choose?_

* * *

**Hey guys, I believe I own you an apology and an explanation.**

**I went through too much trouble writing this chapter. The chapter itself isn't anything special but I had an awful writer's block on how to approach it, add to that IRL and laziness and you have a 6 months wait. Awful, I know. I promise this is the first and last time I let this happen, I want to write and finish this story, that much is certain.**

**Regarding the chapter itself, as you can see I like to expand upon the world and its many features. We don't get much of that in the game, and since this is part 1 I feel less pressured to touch the plot and can explore other stuff in the meantime. But do not worry, the plot won't be ignored. **

**However, if you do not like this kind of world-building chapter please do let me know so I can reduce or avoid them in the future.**

**Here is the link to the Treehouse discord: /9XG3U7a feel free to drop by and say hello.**


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